Shadowed Friendship 2: Black Redemption
by Orange Lantern Tsume
Summary: [COMPLETE] (AU) Two months after Shadowed Friendship, the gang must face tougher challenges as Myotismon, King of Vampires, targets Rika for destruction. And having a murderous Janyu Wong against you is bad too. R&R!
1. Opening

Shadowed Friendship 2: Black Redemption  
  
By Blackheart Syaoran  
  
AUTHOR: I hope this is more successful than the first SF! And check that one out, b/c it is the first in the series and is pretty damn good!  
  
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Chapter 1: Opening  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The plane set down at Tokyo International Airport and the passengers heaved a sigh of relief. As they exited, their luggage was pulled out. Among the parcels were two coffins, both jet-black and very ornate. Shrugging at the sight of them, the handlers loaded them onto the trolley and went about their business as usual.  
  
Once they were in the hands of Rumiko and Seiko, safely in the back of a hearse, the lids opened, and Rika Nonaka Wong and her husband, Henry Wong, took deep breaths of air, although they didn't need to.  
  
"Good to see you back again, Rika," Seiko smiled from the passenger seat, having turned herself around.  
  
"You too, Grandma."  
  
"And you're well too, Henry?" Seiko asked.  
  
"Just great, Grandma," he replied. Even though they weren't related except by law, he had taken to calling her that ever since he married Rika. She had sort of impressed that upon him, and he didn't complain; besides, Seiko was a sweet old lady.  
  
"Where to, Mom?" Rika asked, carefully climbing out of the coffin and peering out the windshield.  
  
"Home, to the good old Nonaka residence."  
  
"I kind of miss that place after spending two months abroad in Transylvania."  
  
"Speaking of your honeymoon location, how was it?" Seiko asked.  
  
"Great, actually, except for all the other monsters there."  
  
"Other monsters?" Rumiko asked.  
  
"Yeah, there were dozens of demons, witches, a wizard or two, some were- creatures, and maybe a few others," Henry said.  
  
"They didn't bother you, did they?" Seiko asked, sounding a little concerned.  
  
Rika chuckled. "No, Grandma, they didn't mess with us after I beat them up."  
  
"I said it before and I'll say it again: You are one violent vampire," Henry smirked, and Rika playfully punched his arm.  
  
"How have the others been?" Henry asked.  
  
"Others?" Seiko asked in turn, confused.  
  
"Takato, Jeri---you know, the whole gang."  
  
"Oh, they're just fine! Takato and Jeri are having a little bit of trouble, though, so you might want to talk with them. Kazu and Kenta are well, or as well as can be after having a stake rammed through the chest. Don't mention that, though, or they might get suspicious."  
  
Henry chuckled. Some things never seemed to change.  
  
"Here we are," Rumiko said.  
  
Getting out and hefting their coffins, Henry and Rika entered Rika's home. She didn't have a place of her own, or one that most married couples did have, so they decided they would live here whenever they were in Tokyo. Placing the coffins in Rika's room, the two sat down to a long talk with the two mothers.  
  
It wasn't long afterwards when Takato showed up, looking tired and panicky but otherwise fine. Wearing the same blue sweatshirt and gray shorts, along with his goggles, he entered the home.  
  
"Thanks for letting me in, guys," he said to Rika and Henry. "I looked at the calendar and saw you were coming back today, so I hotfooted it over here without Jeri."  
  
"Why? Where IS Jeri?" Henry asked.  
  
Takato actually shuddered. "I love the girl, but she's driving me nuts! Remember how she only talked about marriage and family life with me? Well, she got worse while you two were on your two-month honeymoon, and I can't get her to shut up!"  
  
"Sounds bad," Rika said.  
  
"It IS bad! All day and night I hear her voice. It's in my head, my dreams---even my cereal sounds like her!" He grabbed Henry by the shoulders. "I need help, man!"  
  
"Careful with my husband," Rika warned.  
  
Takato let go and dropped to his knees, clasping his hands in front of himself and pleading. "Rika, I'm begging you for help! Please, tell me why girls are so messed up!"  
  
Henry took a step back.  
  
Rika's eyes flashed a fraction of a second before her fist did.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Mrs. Matsuki gaped at her son.  
  
"What happened?" she asked Henry.  
  
"Well, he mentioned something about girls that made Rika angry."  
  
"And she did THIS to him? My poor baby!" Mrs. Matsuki cradled her son.  
  
"It's not too bad," Henry said.  
  
"Not too bad? He's got a black eye the size of a football!"  
  
"Okay, so it IS bad."  
  
The mother carried her barely-conscious son up to his room to sleep, while Mr. Matsuki thanked Henry for bringing the kid back in one piece.  
  
"Could have been worse," the baker said.  
  
"A lot worse," Henry agreed before heading back to the Nonaka residence.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Meanwhile, in Romania, a meeting was being held. The one who had called the meeting sat at the head of the long steel table, her dark eyes glinting evilly. These people, to her, were nothing more than bloodsucking rivals, pawns to use to gain power for herself.  
  
It was a good move she made, not long ago, to strike a deal with a group of very ambitious---if not powerful---people. They would give her what she wanted if she gave them what they wanted. The "You scratch my back" kind of deal, to be sure, but one that worked to her benefit.  
  
Now, however, she needed to use the other head vampires in this room, to get them worked up over something none of them should really care about. Power was everything to this woman, and once she had absolute power, there would be no rule-breaking except under her direct command.  
  
And that was what they were here for, in fact: To "help" teach a lesson to a little girl about killing when you should. The woman was going to use this child to tear down the system and erect a brand-new one, with her in charge. The girl was nothing more than a pawn. One death hardly mattered.  
  
"Are you going to start the meeting or not?" one of the male leaders asked. He seemed impatient, and the woman decided to put his name at the top of her hit list.  
  
"Of course," she said easily. "It's obvious what you all want to know: Why you're here. You want to be doing something else---and you will be, after I have finished this business with you. It can run itself out, no aid from anyone. You can all go back to doing what you want to do until it has completed its chore."  
  
"And this business would involve what, exactly?" asked a man who looked Spanish.  
  
The woman smiled. "It involves those bothersome slayers we all have to deal with occasionally. Approximately two months ago, there was some unusual activity involving some children and two slayers---well, one former slayer and one active slayer, to be perfectly precise."  
  
"And we should care about this because...?"  
  
"Because one of our kind had a run in with both. She only tried to kill one of them, and maybe not even that. All of us here know the rule: Kill any slayer found. The girl didn't kill either slayer. A werewolf mutilated the active one, and the other one was left utterly unscathed. What kind of example is she setting here? A bad one, I tell you."  
  
There a moment's pause after the woman finished. And then they started to laugh.  
  
"One unharmed slayer?" a Chinese woman laughed. "And why is this important to us? You know such a minor thing would never matter in our circles!"  
  
"It matters," the woman said softly, "because this slayer is one of the best ever: Janyu Wong."  
  
They shut up instantly, and the woman had to marvel inwardly at the incredible effect one man's name had on an entire cadre of head vampires. Janyu Wong was always a human, with no special powers, save for his being highly-skilled in slaying. The man was a killing machine, by anyone's standards.  
  
"Are you saying that Janyu Wong is causing trouble for us again?" one of the others asked the woman. "He's been retired for years now."  
  
"Officially retired, perhaps, but he had some fun two months ago with his own son," the woman smirked back. She picked up a file on what she was talking about and read it as she spoke. "He staked two half-demons, chased the mentioned vampire girl, some other creature, and someone we think to be a werewolf."  
  
"And what are we supposed to do about it?" another leader asked. "This seems totally unimportant compared to our gangster activities that we take up to earn money for our operations."  
  
"Oh, it's very important," the woman said, a second away from throwing the bait out. "Because this girl has caught the interest of several rival organizations, and they all have plans for her. Unless we can manipulate her ourselves, we're better off destroying her."  
  
There it was: She had tossed the fish their bait and the girl was that bait. No one would know if she was lying unless they peeked into her mind, which was never allowed at meetings such as this one. They would believe the girl was a pawn for their enemies, and they weren't incorrect in that: What they WERE incorrect in was the idea that the enemy was anyone BUT the woman telling them about this "threat."  
  
After a moment, another leader spoke.  
  
"What do you need from us?" he asked. "Janyu Wong, if I am not mistaken from your own words, tried to kill the girl, and now she is a part of more than a fair share of our enemies' plans. Where does this all lead?"  
  
"Power," the woman breathed. "Everyone wants it, and our enemies will get it if we let them have their way with this girl, we'll be out of the game for good, and fast. Only by eliminating her in a very permanent way can we hope to stay alive."  
  
The others murmured to each other for a few moments.  
  
"What are we to do?" asked one of them.  
  
The woman hid her smile. "Only help opening the crypt of our King."  
  
They gasped at this.  
  
"The crypt? Are you mad?" one of them snarled. "He could destroy us!"  
  
The woman waved a hand dismissively. "He's our lord and master, why would he?"  
  
"You have a very strong point, Felicia," another leader said. She clenched a fist. "Our enemies are too strong as it stands, and more power for them means less for us! This girl, if you are right, is the key to everything. You know who she is?"  
  
"I do," Felicia nodded.  
  
"Then we need to take any and all means to kill her. If we can't be the strongest, than no one can!"  
  
One by one, convincing argument after convincing argument, they all turned to her for help. Smiling proudly, hiding the malicious glee, Felicia told them what they needed to know, and they gave her the information she required. Being a novice head vampire, she was not told where the King's crypt was.  
  
Felicia, thanking them like a groveling little child, watched them go, listening to their meaningless promises of help "should she need it." Felicia snorted laughter. After freeing the King, she would never need help.  
  
There was only one problem: Would he be grateful enough to make her Queen, or would he take Nonaka Wong as his Queen, seeing as the girl was already titled the "Digimon Queen" because she beat a bunch of mortals at a pathetic card game.  
  
Pushing that problem aside, Felicia made her way through the countryside. Unbelievably, the crypt was in Romania, the same country the meeting had taken place in. It was a stroke of luck she never knew she was capable of!  
  
It didn't take her long to find and open the crypt, the heavy stone slabs parting and admitting her into the burial chamber of the King. She proceeded quickly, and before long, she had released him.  
  
Towering over her imperiously, he stared at her with a haughty expression. For a moment, Felicia was filled with an all-numbing dread that she had made some kind of horrible mistake, that he WOULD kill every last one of them, starting with her and all her idiotic plans filled with delusions of self-delusion.  
  
Instead, the smile on his face gave way to laughter, and he gazed at her as he laughed. After an indeterminate amount of time, he spoke.  
  
"Your plans matter naught to me, little vampire. I am the King of all vampires, and MY plans are the only ones that will be executed now."  
  
Felicia tried to say something, but her lip would only tremble, and she looked like a baby.  
  
He laughed again. "Get over yourself, girl. I don't have time for little gnats such as yourself."  
  
Striding past her, he left. It took Felicia a moment to hurry to his side.  
  
"But, where are you going, my lord?"  
  
He didn't bother to look at her. "I am going away from here. My plans need my presence elsewhere, and you should be happy with that much data."  
  
"And as for any plans?" she asked.  
  
"As I have already said, my plans are all that matter right now."  
  
She suddenly realized they were outside the crypt, and that his cape was spreading into a pair of wings.  
  
"But where are you going, my lord?" she pressed.  
  
"Out," was all Myotismon said before flying away.  
  
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AUTHOR: Good beginning, eh?  
  
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	2. Orders

Shadowed Friendship 2: Black Redemption  
  
By Blackheart Syaoran  
  
AUTHOR: Thanks for reviewing!  
  
TO ALL: I would like to thank Adamant for all the help he gave me in writing this. Call him the co-creator if you wish, because he pretty much is.  
  
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Chapter 2: Orders  
Takato Matsuki woke up and stretched, yawning loudly. He had a good night's sleep, and was feeling deeply refreshed. He yawned again as he pulled on his shirt and shorts, and then his beloved goggles, he went downstairs and ate some cereal.  
  
Mrs. Matsuki was cooking pancakes for whatever reason, and Takato decided he was full and did not select any. Getting his school gear together, he said goodbye to his family and headed out.  
  
Down the street, watching him, hidden, was a van full of surveillance equipment and personnel. Inside the van, a pair of men watched monitors Takato as he left his home for school. The men wore the standard black business suit with dark glasses, their faces cold and emotionless.  
  
"Almost time to check in," one of them said.  
  
"Should we report a little early?" asked the other.  
  
"Nah, the higher-ups might think they're being attacked or something," the first replied as he watched the seconds tick by on his wristwatch.  
  
The second man shrugged and looked over the monitors. Takato had vanished, having moved on, and the screens showed only regular people.  
  
Or individuals that appeared to be regular people. That was part of the reason why the men's organization had been established in the first place. People had a right to know if monsters were living next door to them or not.  
  
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Downtown, in a particular building, two women were watching over everything. Strapped into chairs that revolved in a circular room, wearing hi-tech "goggles", white jumpsuits, and using very advanced devices, they monitored everything the slayers monitored, including the slayers themselves.  
  
The organization was a powerful one, although it had its betters and inferiors. There were rivals since Day One, and there would always be enemies. Such as enemies to both society and humanity in general. These "monsters" were always a threat, and these people were the only real line of defense. The police were almost utterly worthless, and people themselves never realized a threat if it was eating their flesh while they were watching.  
  
The fools had to be protected by SOMEONE. The organization had its orders, and it never---or rather, ALMOST never---failed to perform its duty. The people it employed were some of the best, as Yamaki could attest to.  
  
If he were still alive.  
  
The only regret the organization had was that Janyu Wong was nowhere to be found. He was the best at what he did, even though he was retired, and they dearly wished for him to lead them in their war against evil yet again.  
  
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Takato set his backpack down on his desk, feeling his skin prickle under his shirt. For some reason, he kept feeling that someone was either after him or following him, like some deer in a documentary.  
  
'I wonder if deer taste any good,' he thought sheepishly. The feeling increased slightly, considering he was a werewolf.  
  
The door to the classroom slid open, and Ms. Isaji entered. She stood at the front of the class and took role before beginning the tedious lesson.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Takato continued to have the feeling of being watched even when he left school, with Jeri hanging onto his arm and ranting endlessly about something that probably involved him.  
  
"Jeri?" he asked abruptly.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you ever feel like you're being followed by someone scary?"  
  
Jeri blinked at the question. "I really can't say I have, Takato. Why?"  
  
"My hairs keep standing on end, and I'm sure it's not because of my feelings for you."  
  
Jeri looked around, as if trying to spot some menace. "Let's just get home, Takato."  
  
"My place or yours?"  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
"Sir!" Riley reported. "The Matsuki boy has left the school and is heading in the general direction of the Kato girl's home, with her alongside him."  
  
"Thank you," the Director said. He had ordered a close eye be kept on that boy after his organization had learned it was he who had brutally killed Yamaki. The man had been second only to Janyu Wong, and Wong was nowhere to be found. Neither was his son, for that matter, who had disappeared after Yamaki's demise.  
  
"Shall I order someone to engage them, sir?" Riley asked. (AN: What's the other woman's name?)  
  
"No, I think not," the Director said. "Just watch them both, but take no action against them."  
  
"As ordered."  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Takato sat in his room, stroking his Guilmon stuffed animal and examining his calendar. There was a Digimon Tournament at night the next day, one in which Rika would be competing in order to show she had not lost her title as Digimon Queen.  
  
Henry would probably be there, since Rika was his wife. Takato briefly wondered whether anyone else would show up there, since odd things seemed to be happening lately.  
  
'Oh, well, I guess I'll find out tomorrow.'  
  
He changed into his pajamas, and promptly drifted off after his parents tucked him in.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
AUTHOR: Sorry for this being short, but I didn't intend for much except a little foreshadowing!  
  
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	3. Little People

Shadowed Friendship 2: Black Redemption  
  
By Blackheart Syaoran  
  
AUTHOR: Thanks for the reviews and sorry for the wait!  
  
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Chapter 3: Little People  
  
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The next day, when Takato came to school, he noticed a few things: First, Jeri was actually home sick, and Second, that Kazu and Kenta were back.  
  
"Hey, Chun-Li!" Kazu greeted as always. "Long time, no see!"  
  
"Where were you guys?" Takato asked. "You vanished for two whole months!"  
  
"Well, Kazu kind of broke his neck, and needed to get better, and I have a totally weird story that I won't even bother telling you," Kenta laughed. "You won't believe what Kazu was like when he was all bound up in a cast! He couldn't move his head!"  
  
"I could too!" Kazu snapped. "You just can't see straight!"  
  
"Guys," Takato cut in. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Digimon Tournament that's taking place tonight. You guys always go to those things."  
  
"What? You want us to bear witness to the ultimate failure and humiliation of Takato Matsuki?" Kazu grinned. "We'll do it!"  
  
Takato blushed. "Uh, no, actually, I wanted to just watch the players and all the usual stuff."  
  
Kazu sniffed. "Wuss."  
  
Kenta chuckled. "Have to agree there, man."  
  
"Fine, laugh all you want."  
  
Ms. Isaji entered the classroom, a very stern expression on her face today. She even cleared her throat before talking.  
  
"Class, we have a new student today, so I want you to be on your best behavior for her, got it?" She practically growled the last part. If Takato remembered correctly, the last new student had been Henry, but he was a vampire now, so he couldn't go to school.  
  
The door to the classroom slid open and a young girl stepped in. She had her platinum blond hair in pigtails, and her ice-blue eyes were lowered, as though she were unhappy.  
  
"This is Alice, and I want everyone here to be nice to her," Ms. Isaji said, flaring around the room.  
  
Takato thought the teacher was overdoing it just a bit. Alice looked nice for a girl her age, and seemed very sweet, even though he didn't know her personally. Ms. Isaji had Alice take her place in Henry's old desk, because the boy was gone for good. Takato felt his skin crawl slightly as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.  
  
At a distance, even a distance so close, Alice seemed completely innocent, but Takato himself was a killing machine, so he didn't dare take a chance that Alice might be just a girl.  
  
The lesson droned on through the day, and the bell rang after an eternity and the children were set free, talking merrily as they left the school. Takato kept behind, matching pace with Alice, who moved like the dead. She didn't seem like a zombie, though, but maybe she was something else...  
  
Takato followed her to the front gates before he caught up to her, stepping in her path to get her attention.  
  
"Hi!" he said brightly with a friendly smile. "My name's Takato!"  
  
Alice started at his actions, having been caught off guard, but didn't rush off in fear. She said, "Hi," in a dull voice.  
  
"What's got you so down?"  
  
"I just moved here from my old neighborhood, where I liked it better."  
  
"That's understandable. Tokyo is a pretty nice place, though, once you get used to it. I've lived here my whole life and I find it very worthwhile."  
  
"That's nice."  
  
"Uh, what are you doing tonight?"  
  
Alice's body seized up. She couldn't breathe, let alone answer. When she had first walked into the classroom, she had been looking down, but she did catch a glimpse of Takato. She had been a little taken with his cute boyish looks, especially those silly yellow goggles he wore...  
  
But now he was asking her what she was doing later! How the heck could she answer that? Her small crush on him skyrocketed off the charts, and she found herself at a loss of words. She coughed a few times, which made Takato blink, and then she managed to squeak an answer.  
  
"Uh, well, I'm a little tied up with putting away my stuff."  
  
Takato looked a little disappointed. "Oh, okay. I was just wondering if you wanted to go to a card tournament with some friends and me. Well, I guess I'll see ya."  
  
Alice watched as he jogged off, unable to move for a while.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"Finally!" Kazu said. "We been waiting for you, Chun-Li!"  
  
"I know, I know!" Takato panted as he finished rushing to his pals. The trio was outside the Digimon Tournament, half-frozen to death. Entering, they looked around in awe. The place was packed with players of all ages, even adults, who might have been escorting their children around or just trying to enjoy themselves. Kazu, Kenta, and Takato snaked their way through the masses carefully, doing everything possible not to get lost or separated.  
  
"Yo, guys!" Kazu called. "I found the tables!"  
  
The tables were where the tournament competitors played against each other. No one else was allowed to use the tables, just in case they were needed. The three boys had their mouths hanging open as they looked around. After a moment of looking about, Takato spotted a familiar face.  
  
"Henry!" he yelled, getting the other boy's attention.  
  
Henry Wong had been leaning against a vendor's kiosk, watching the crowd and keeping an eye out for Rika. Upon hearing Takato, the Chinese boy strode toward the small group.  
  
While Takato was pleased at Henry's appearance, Kazu and Kenta felt their hearts freeze up. They noticed his pale complexion, which was almost good enough to be human, and could pass unless you knew what to look for. They both recognized Henry as a vampire, just like Rika was, and knew they were probably screwed.  
  
"Takato, good to see you!" Henry smiled, shaking hands with the Matsuki boy.  
  
"Same here!" Takato smiled. "You remember Kazu and Kenta?"  
  
Henry nodded coldly, glaring at the two half-demons. The little bastards had caused all kinds of trouble, and had almost killed Impmon that one time. Renamon should be watching, so they wouldn't dare try anything. Of course, they didn't KNOW the fox was around, but a vampire like Henry was dangerous enough.  
  
"Where's Rika?" Takato asked casually, not noticing the invisible exchange between Henry and the hybrids.  
  
"She's around here somewhere," Henry said simply, still eyeing the two.  
  
Kazu's skin crawled. 'TWO vampires? Oh shit!'  
  
"Around here for sure," Rika's familiar, icy voice said from behind Kenta. The boy jumped a full foot into the air before Kazu caught him, the pair looking like Shaggy and Scooby for a moment. "ICE to see you again, morons," Rika greeted the two, the reference obvious.  
  
"Yeah, same here," Kazu forced out, though he stammered.  
  
"How long until the tournament starts, Rika?" Takato asked pleasantly. He was actually amused by Kazu and Kenta.  
  
"Any minute now, so I think I'll go get ready or whatever." She left, much to the relief of the two hybrids.  
  
"Scary, man!" Kazu said.  
  
"Definitely," Kenta agreed.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
As the tournament got underway, with Rika flattening the other players early into the matches and setting a record, Takato and Henry talked, keeping away from Kazu and Kenta, who had faded away into the crowd in order to hide from the bloodsuckers.  
  
"What's been happening around here, Takato?" Henry asked. "Strange crap always does."  
  
"You've gotten a lot nastier, you know?" Takato asked.  
  
"Well, I've been living with Rika, the Vampire Digimon Queen."  
  
"Nice excuse."  
  
"Takato, the subject?"  
  
"Oh right. Well, I keep noticing strangers here and there. I mean, yeah, Tokyo is a really packed place, but these guys stand out like sore thumbs in their dark suits and whatnot. They've been following me around lately, and been doing the same to Jeri."  
  
Henry raised an eyebrow. "What do we know about them?"  
  
"Nothing, except that they have lousy outfits."  
  
Henry chuckled, and Takato changed the subject.  
  
"How's life with Rika the Psycho Digimon Queen, by the way?"  
  
"She's been getting weird premonitions lately, to be honest, and that's been getting me worried. Her family thinks it might be big, and so does Renamon."  
  
"Where IS Renamon?"  
  
"She's around."  
  
"Ah."  
  
Henry smiled for no real reason, watching the light of his life crush yet another player. She was advancing quickly, and was openly mocking the other players.  
  
One girl, though, seemed very confident of herself. She began battling Rika, who wore an expression of pure boredom.  
  
"Digimon Queen," the girl said thoughtfully. "I like the ring that title will have with my name, once I beat you."  
  
"Please," Rika said lazily. "You couldn't beat the dust out of a carpet."  
  
The girl turned scarlet and began to say something, but Rika played her hand, winning the match. The girl's jaw dropped wide open, and her parents had to escort her away, because she was paralyzed from losing.  
  
The rounds continued on, until Rika had wiped everyone else out. She took the award and left curtly, Henry wrapping up his conversation with Takato as she came over and grinned, hefting the trophy.  
  
"I always knew you were a born winner," Henry said.  
  
"No you didn't."  
  
"Well, I do know."  
  
"Come on," Rika said. "I don't feel like staying out again."  
  
Henry shrugged. "Suit yourself. See you, Takato."  
  
"You too, Henry, Rika!"  
  
They vanished, and Kazu and Kenta finally returned from their hiding spot.  
  
"Can we go home now, before they come back?" they begged Takato.  
  
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"Sir!" Riley said. "Our agents have finished with the tournament and request further orders on pursuing the subjects."  
  
The Director shook his head. "I don't think so. Have them monitor any other listed people if they are at the tournament, but don't bother with the children. If there is no one else to observe, they are to return to HQ and file their reports."  
  
"Yes, sir!" Riley barked as she relayed the orders.  
  
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AUTHOR: Hope that was okay!  
  
READ N REVIEW! 


	4. Break My Balls

Shadowed Friendship 2: Black Redemption  
  
By Blackheart Syaoran  
  
AUTHOR: Thanks for reviewing and sorry for the wait!  
  
TO Rika Wong: Thanks for the name.  
  
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Chapter 4: Break My Balls  
  
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The next day, things became even weirder for the group of friends. At school, Jeri had recovered from her stomach virus, which, oddly enough, affected fox-maidens the same as they did people. Takato was glad she was better, but also a little fearful: The girl was notoriously possessive of some things, and if she caught Alice's scent on him, he was a goner, same as the new girl.  
  
Surprisingly, Jeri didn't pick up Alice's scent for the entire school day. Ms. Isaji went about the lesson as always, and everyone began dropping into a dull stupor that was broken only by the bell. Regaining their excited attitudes, the kids gathered their things and filed from the classroom.  
  
Jeri caught up to Takato, who was hoping to speak to Alice about Jeri's temper. Smiling as brightly as ever, Jeri began talking.  
  
"What happened while I was out yesterday, Takato?"  
  
"Well," Takato said, wondering where to begin. "Ms. Isaji introduced a new girl, that blond one that sits beside me. And I met with Henry and Rika at the tournament that was held last night."  
  
"How was it?"  
  
"We talked about a bunch of different stuff. Those two are doing all right, and I told them about the weirdoes spying on us."  
  
"How did they react to that?"  
  
"Not too bad, actually."  
  
"Anything interesting happen?"  
  
Takato hesitated here. He didn't feel that he should tell Jeri about Alice's talk with him, because she was possessive sometimes, but he really hated lying to Jeri. But if he told her, Alice might get into a tight spot.  
  
"Well, Henry and Rika scared the daylights out of Kazu and Kenta at the tournament."  
  
Jeri snickered. "Those two are going to get themselves killed one day."  
  
Takato inwardly gave a great sigh of relief. Jeri had believed him.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Jeri was no moron, even though she let people think that from time to time. She had picked up small traces of the new girl's scent on Takato, and had to admit she found it fascinating. The girl smelled human, but with that wild touch that made it just right.  
  
She had had decided that, when she got the chance, she would talk to this "Alice" and make perfectly sure the girl understand that Takato was already taken. After all, some girls had no brains in their heads.  
  
Oddly enough, it was the next day that Jeri got the opportunity to speak to Alice. The two had Gym class together, a perfect chance for Jeri to speak. Even though Jeri considered herself the more beautiful of the two, she did confess that Alice looked enticing in the Gym uniform each girl wore. It was little wonder that Takato was being lured in by the wench.  
  
The teacher paired Jeri and Alice together, and the Kato girl couldn't be more pleased with things. Forcing herself to stop smirking, she approached Alice.  
  
"I hear you and Takato met," she said without preamble.  
  
Alice turned to face her, blinking her eyes.  
  
"So?" the blond girl asked.  
  
"What were you talking about?"  
  
"What do you care?"  
  
Jeri was stunned by the response. She usually got what she wanted.  
  
"I actually meant for specifics."  
  
"You can always ask Takato," Alice said shortly. "Some other kids told me you and him are rather close."  
  
"That's right," Jeri ground out. "And I plan on reinforcing that fact right now. From what I gathered, you seem to have eyes for my man."  
  
Alice went stiff for a moment, and then turned and glowered at Jeri.  
  
"And if I do?"  
  
Jeri leaned forward, poking the other girl in the chest with her index finger.  
  
"Then I'm going to tell you right now to stay away from other people's things."  
  
Alice glared at Jeri. "I think I just made myself a rival."  
  
"Then rivals we are, and for Takato's affection, no less."  
  
"And I'm going to win," Alice said, as though it were destiny.  
  
"No, I'M going to win," Jeri growled.  
  
The two spent the rest of the class arguing over who would win Takato.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Later that night, at the Nonaka residence, Henry sat on the rock by the small lake, watching the moon's reflection. It wasn't a full moon tonight, so he wasn't thinking much about Takato, except in regard to meeting the young Japanese werewolf at the tournament last night.  
  
But now, at the moment, he was thinking about his relationship with Rika. He knew they still loved each other, but ever since their honeymoon, he had been feeling like there was something wrong on his part. He kept thinking there was something he needed to do in order to make her smile more often, since she was still the Ice Queen of Japanese Vampires.  
  
Henry had considered talking to his mother, but didn't want to risk contact with his rather biased father. Janyu had gone "hunting for his wayward son" ever since that time two months ago, when Rika had bitten Henry and they had eloped. It seemed the man was totally devoted to getting his son back to a human and getting rid of Rika.  
  
There were only a few other people Henry felt comfortable talking to other than his own family. There was Takato, although that boy wasn't very bright sometimes; Renamon was highly intelligent, but Henry was a little unsure about whatever advice she would give; Impmon was the last person, but the little hobgoblin was hardly the romantic type. Henry seriously doubted the trickster would say anything helpful.  
  
"How's it hanging, whitey?" a nasal voice asked, and Henry practically jumped out of his skin.  
  
He twisted around to find the diminutive Impmon standing a few feet away, the perpetual smirk in place as always. Deep down, Henry felt good to see the creature.  
  
"What brings you to Dead House?" he asked Impmon as he turned back to the lake's reflections.  
  
Impmon talked as he stepped to Henry's side, also watching the water.  
  
"Well, I got wind that you two were back in town from Foxy and thought I'd stop by. Took longer than I planned on, but that's 'cause I got tied up with making water fountains go haywire for a few hours."  
  
"Which Foxy?" Henry asked. Impmon knew about Jeri, what with being told by Renamon.  
  
"The cowardly one," the hobgoblin answered neutrally, making Henry snicker.  
  
"You realize she'd skin you alive if she ever heard you saying that about her?"  
  
Impmon waved a hand. "She ain't so tough."  
  
"Careful where you tread."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. So, what's got you out here so late? Shouldn't you be with your woman or something?"  
  
"I let her go out alone for the night. I don't feel so good."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"I feel like I'm somehow disappointing Rika by not making her less of an icy figure. It's really getting to me after two months of thinking about it."  
  
Impmon put a hand on Henry's shoulder.  
  
"Kid, I'm going to give you some advice when it comes to relationships."  
  
Henry stared at the other. "Really?"  
  
Impmon nodded. "Yep. You see, there are very important things you need to know about in regard to girls."  
  
"And what's that?"  
  
Impmon cleared his throat loudly before speaking. "Well, the important thing you need to do to make a girl happy..."  
  
"Yeah?" Henry asked, getting a little eager.  
  
"Is you have to give them plenty of mushrooms. Girls can't get enough mushrooms. My old girlfriend was always giving me loads of grief because I never gave her those special mushrooms that only grow at the foot of the mountain where all those old leper virgins were executed."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Henry asked, deeply freaked out.  
  
"Kid, I haven't even started telling you the secrets of romance," Impmon said proudly.  
  
"I think I don't need to hear them," Henry said, an edge of fear creeping in despite himself.  
  
As he got up, someone grabbed him up, and he was suddenly flying backwards, away from Impmon and the lake, into another section of the grounds. He hit the ground, hard, and rolled over, shaking off the effects and getting up to find Renamon standing over him.  
  
"Hello, Renamon."  
  
"Henry," she said neutrally. "It's been a while. I'm sorry I didn't see more of you when you returned."  
  
"Yeah, but I kinda need your help now."  
  
"Rika?"  
  
"You heard us?"  
  
"A little bit," Renamon nodded.  
  
"Anything you can say that would help me?"  
  
"Only that you should let things take their intended course, Henry. I'm not saying you should keep going the way you are, but that you should do what you can and let the future reveal itself."  
  
Odd though the information was, Henry thanked her and headed to his and Rika's room to await his wife's return. She arrived not long after his talks with the two "Digimon" and the vampires greeted each other as always before retiring. At this point, morning was not far off, and Henry needed the rest.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
Elsewhere in the world, Janyu Wong was getting grouchy. He had always been possessed of a notorious temper, but had gained control of it after a time. Now, though, after the business with his son turning into a bloodsucker, he was becoming an angry man again.  
  
He stepped out of the pub and rubbed the back of his neck, prepared to move to the next spot as he searched for Henry and Rika, when he heard the laughter. Janyu knew the kind of laugh it was: The laugh a high-status person gave to those he considered beneath him, such as servants or peasants.  
  
And if Janyu hated one thing on this planet, it was someone giving him that kind of laugh. He turned around, ready to beat the snot out of whoever was laughing, but blinked in surprise when he saw the laugher.  
  
"I have heard many tales of the great Janyu Wong, even in my torpor. I must admit, though, that I had thought you far more imposing-looking than you are now. All those stories made you sound so invincible. It seems as though I was wrong in assuming you were anything special."  
  
Janyu curled his fingers under his thumb on each hand, not clasping the hands together, as he cracked his knuckles.  
  
"Buddy, you got a problem with me, we can have it out right here and now."  
  
The tall and skeletally thin figure laughed again, causing Janyu's anger to kindle.  
  
"I doubt you would do anything more than annoy me, human."  
  
That was when Janyu threw the first punch.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
AUTHOR: Hope y'all liked that!  
  
READ N REVIEW! 


	5. Turmoil

Shadowed Friendship 2: Black Redemption  
  
By Blackheart Syaoran  
  
AUTHOR: Thanks for reviewing and sorry for the wait!  
  
TO Hitomi No Ryu: I ban you from reading/reviewing this fic. Shove off.  
  
TO Me: Do not keep sending so many repetitious reviews, please. It's very annoying.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
Chapter 5: Turmoil  
  
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Takato was snoring loud enough for his parents to hear him in the kitchen. Mr. Matsuki was reading the paper, his wife cooking breakfast. The full moon would be upon them all soon, and the Matsukis wanted their boy to have as good a day as possible before he had to go down to the basement. Mr. Matsuki was a little angry with himself for not perfecting it further in the time since Takato had mutilated Yamaki, but did fix it every time he thought his son made some damage.  
  
Mrs. Matsuki flipped the pancake over, putting the finishing touches on it. Nothing was too good for her son, but she did have to keep some things from the pint-sized engine of destruction. (AN: God, I love that expression). She, like her husband, had planned to treat Takato like a midget of a prince until the full moon.  
  
Upstairs, Takato rolled over, waking up and crying out just before he hit the floor with a resounding "thunk." Groaning, he got up, rubbing his forehead and muttering darkly under his breath. Exhaling, he looked at his stuffed Guilmon. Grinning to himself, he got dressed and went downstairs.  
  
After devouring the pancakes, he brushed his teeth, gathered his things, and left for school. Kazu and Kenta met him on the way, and the gang resumed talking about the Digimon tournament. Takato noticed that the two other boys said nothing at all about Rika, Henry, or Renamon. Keeping from snickering, Takato laughed at the prospect of the two half-demons being terrified by a couple of vampires and a magical fox bodyguard.  
  
"Well, here we are, men," Kazu said. "We have reached the fortress of evil itself."  
  
"Kazu, we're at school," Takato reminded his friend.  
  
"That was a joke, Chun-Li."  
  
"Oh," Takato said, belatedly getting it.  
  
He noticed his friends were moving ahead without him and hurried to catch up.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Classes went smooth for Jeri and Alice, except for the hidden, silent, and very deadly tension that only the two girls felt. They both knew what it was: Their dislike of each other, mixed thoroughly with the need to win Takato's heart.  
  
Alice had little doubt she would lose the contest. After all, she was better looking, smarter, and didn't have the face of a pug, something that Jeri definitely had. Alice knew people always made dumb blond jokes, but she knew in her heart that Takato would be hers and hers alone.  
  
Jeri was acting incredibly similar. The only thoughts going through her head were of proving her love to Takato and of kicking Alice's scrawny butt. Jeri smiled at that last one. She had taken a gander at the new girl, and was pleased to say that Alice had less goods on her than an out- of-business general goods store. Jeri could hardly wait to tell Takato that his new romantic interest was completely pathetic. When that happened, the only attention Alice would get is from the mirror.  
  
Gym class came quickly, and the girls glared at each other in the locker room as they changed. When they were out in the open, they glared still. It seemed to nowadays be an Olympic sport between the pair. They would send one another dark looks whenever they could, and sometimes got in a verbal jab or two. At one moment, Jeri had managed to trip Alice in the hallway, but the blond girl had retaliated by starting a food fight, with Jeri being the main target of choice of everyone.  
  
Takato, wrapped up with his own life and doing his best to keep any girl from becoming enraged at one of his remarks, hardly noticed the private war that had erupted. He was always talking to Kazu and Kenta about that stupid card game, and Jeri was secretly considering taking up the game, in case winning Takato required beating someone in Digimon.  
  
Alice had her own collection of rather good Digimon cards, and hid them from all eyes except her own. Even her parents had no idea what she did in her spare time. She had been practicing for hours on end as of late, because of the overwhelming urge she felt, the urge to crush Jeri and take Takato for herself.  
  
Today, the teacher had the students separate into two teams, both with boys and girls, to play tug-of-war. Takato liked this game, even though he was always rather poor at it. Jeri and Alice, however, were going to greatly enjoy playing the game. They were both going to use every ounce of strength they had to win. Takato was on Alice's team, which motivated Alice to defend her man and Jeri to win him back.  
  
"All right, pull!" the teacher yelled, starting the contest.  
  
The kids leaned back, digging in with their heels and pulling as much as possible. Slowly, Takato's side began winning, due mostly to Alice's sheer determination to defend her prize. Inside, Alice couldn't help but feel incredible satisfaction at having gotten the upper hand. She had possessed the opinion that Jeri was weak, and now she was proving it.  
  
But Jeri wasn't going to give up so easily. Gritting her teeth, she slowly began turning the tide, using as much animal strength as she could muster. As her side began to win, Takato and Alice's side realized what was happening. Quickly, they doubled their efforts, and the game ended ten minutes later in a total stalemate.  
  
"I've never seen anything like it," the teacher said to himself. "Neither side winning or losing. Like some sort of omen."  
  
In the girls' locker room, Jeri and Alice were glaring at each other again. When they finished changing back into their regular clothes, they faced each other, each girl wearing a small smirk.  
  
"I hope you enjoyed that, Alice, because I gave you just a taste of what it feels like to mess with me," Jeri said.  
  
"Don't make me laugh," Alice retorted calmly. "I kept you from winning and you know it. You couldn't beat me because you didn't have what it takes, and you never will. Takato is already mine."  
  
"That's what you think," Jeri sneered as she turned and strode away.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
That night, Henry and Rika woke up. The former went to the living room while the latter got a drink from the fridge. Rika had told her husband about her family's cache of blood drinks, which basically resembled milk bottles filled with the life-giving fluid. Henry had yet to try one out, though.  
  
The Chinese vampire sat on the couch, watching a sumo match. As he did so, he kept thinking of ways to bring Rika out of her deep freeze attitude. She wasn't as cold as she was when they had first met, or even as cold as when they began expressing feelings for each other, but Henry still felt she was acting icy. He needed to do something about that. He didn't want his wife to be cold-hearted forever. Both vampires knew she was capable of being more loving, but Henry had no idea how to make her like that, and Rika wasn't helping.  
  
Rika plopped down next to him, casually drinking from the bottle. Henry knew that he was supposed to say something, but couldn't think of a damned thing. It was like his brain had frozen solid. He needed to break the silence, to get Rika out of her shell. But what to say?  
  
"Do you think we should visit my family?" It was the only thing he could come up with, and he cursed himself for not thinking of something better. Mentioning a stick of butter would have been smarter!  
  
Caught unawares by the question, Rika coughed into her drink, and Henry quickly grabbed her shoulder, worried that he might have done something stupid. Fortunately, she wasn't harmed. Recovering, she looked at him.  
  
"I thought you wanted to keep from being found by your dad?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, well, I don't want my mom to suffer needlessly. Besides, it might do us some good. We can get my mom to talk to my dad and tell him to leave us alone."  
  
Rika shook her head. "I don't know. Your dad is one of the world's leading psychos. He'd hunt us down. Not to disrespect your mother or anything, but your dad would not stop torturing her for info, and I'm betting she'd crack easily."  
  
"Maybe. My mom can be pretty tough sometimes. Remember that witch I told you about?"  
  
"The one that tried to snag your dad for herself?" Rika asked.  
  
Henry nodded. "That very one. The whole time, my mom never stopped pestering my dad about who the new love interest was. She tried to force the information out of him at one point. Fortunately, he got his mind back under control and down went the witch."  
  
"Ouch," Rika said. "But whatever ol' Janyu did to her, he'd do worse to me. I'm a vampire that has not only won the heart of a slayer's son, but I've won his body, turning him into a vampire like myself. Just makes you want to either puke or kill something, doesn't it?"  
  
Henry chuckled. "I suppose I'd better agree to that, just to keep you from hitting me."  
  
Rika playfully punched him. "Damn right you better."  
  
Just then, the phone began ringing. Sighing, Rika got up to get it before Henry did. When she reached it, however, it stopped. Shrugging, she sat back down, cuddling up against him, and he put his arm around her.  
  
'The typical couple sharing a tender moment,' he thought wryly. 'Of course, typical couples aren't exactly vampires.'  
  
A tentative footstep, coming from behind, made him turn his head to see Seiko standing there, her face pale and grave.  
  
"Henry, it's your mother," she said. "She says it's urgent."  
  
His brow furrowing, Henry reluctantly rose and got the cordless from her. He thanked her before he spoke into the receiver.  
  
"Mom?" he asked.  
  
"Henry, God, I've been trying to reach you for at least an hour now," came Mayumi's wavering voice.  
  
The sound of his mother's trembling voice made Henry a little nervous on the inside. Something was very wrong, he could tell. Keeping his own tone calm and steady, he responded.  
  
"Mom, what's wrong? I can feel it."  
  
He heard her take a breath before answering. "I just got word: Your father's in the hospital. Henry, he's been severely injured, and placed in the emergency room. The doctors are operating on him even now. I wanted to make sure either you or Rika knew before I went to see him myself."  
  
Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't this. Henry felt his throat dry up, and his mouth also seemed to lack moisture. After several dry swallows, he managed to speak again.  
  
"Which hospital?"  
  
His mother gave the name and address, and then hung up after exchanging goodbyes. Henry handed the cordless back to Seiko, who had been respectfully keeping a distance, so as not to overhear. When she left, Henry stood there for a moment, doing and saying nothing.  
  
Rika, though, didn't know what had been said. Vampires were telepathic, but she had never looked inside his head, or he into hers, without expressed consent. She made a helpless gesture to show her confusion.  
  
"What? What is it?"  
  
"Yeah," he replied hoarsely.  
  
"Well?" she practically demanded. "What's up?"  
  
"My dad's just been admitted to the operating room for severe injuries."  
  
Blinking, Rika stood there. Though she had never really given a crap about Henry's father, she wasn't exactly one to jump for joy at times like these.  
  
"What do you want to do?" she asked.  
  
"I need to see him. My mother's going there right now. She wanted to contact me before doing that."  
  
"So let's go already."  
  
"I honestly don't know if I can."  
  
Rika frowned. "What do you mean, you don't know if you can? He's your father, it's that simple!"  
  
Henry shook his head. "No, it isn't. My father is a man who obsesses over things that warrant such action. If I see him, it might cause more trouble than good."  
  
Rika grabbed his shoulders and made him look at her.  
  
"Listen to me, Henry Wong," she ground out. "Your father has just been severely injured, and is currently undergoing surgery. There are strange people following us around, and I keep getting this ominous feeling every time I wake up or go to sleep. If anyone knows anything, it's Janyu Wong."  
  
Henry took a breath and exhaled. "I guess. I'll see him, but it won't be pretty."  
  
Rika nodded. "I'll get my jacket."  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Mayumi Wong was waiting for her son and daughter-in-law. With their pale skin, the two vampire kids looked like they were ghosts under the fluorescent lights of the waiting room. Other people, visitors and patients and doctors and nurses, bustled about or sat around, making small noises, but the trio could hear themselves easily.  
  
"Glad to see you again, Henry," Mayumi said, the woman and her son embracing briefly. Mayumi then turned her eyes toward Rika, who was gazing back coldly. "Rika."  
  
"Mrs. Wong," the vampire girl replied coolly.  
  
Henry sighed internally. He should have expected that his mother and wife would be icy to each other. The two had never really gotten along, although Mayumi was far more tolerant, practically accepting, of Rika than Janyu was. Henry suspected this was due to the fact that his mother hadn't been a slayer, but a slayer's wife.  
  
"Where's dad?" he asked Mayumi.  
  
The woman looked back at her son. "He got out only a few minutes before you arrived. The doctors said he shouldn't really see any patients, but I decided to overrule him."  
  
"How come?"  
  
"Because he was mumbling something about monsters when he was admitted."  
  
Henry's suspicions flared. If a monster had beaten the crap out of Janyu Wong, things had just gone from bad to worse. Henry knew his father had been one of the best slayers on the entire planet before retiring.  
  
Beside Henry, Rika shifted uncomfortably. He didn't know why, and hardly cared at the moment.  
  
"Which room is he in?"  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Janyu Wong had plugs, wires, bags, tubes, and even a few other things hooked up to him. Henry had no idea what some of the things were, but he was certain they were important in sustaining Janyu's life. He took a seat next to his father's bed, watching the older man's chest rise and fall rhythmically.  
  
"Dad?" he asked quietly.  
  
Janyu stirred a little from the question. His eyes blinked open, and he glanced about before turning his head to see Henry. When he did, though, his eyes narrowed.  
  
Henry held up his hands. "I didn't do anything. I just came here to see what had happened...and maybe get some answers to a few questions."  
  
Janyu nodded. He couldn't answer because of the tube in his mouth. Henry got up and stood over the man.  
  
"Since you can't speak on your own, I'm going to talk to you telepathically. But to do that, I need you to open your mind, unless you want it to be painful."  
  
Janyu closed his eyes, and Henry sensed his father open up. Putting one hand on Janyu's forehead, the vampire entered his mind.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
In Janyu's mind, Henry found himself standing in a semicircular office. It was unmistakably in a skyscraper, because he could see a great deal of Hong Kong from the large windows. The office itself was furnished with pictures on the wall, an oak desk, a rather nice chair with wheels to roll around on, and some papers on top the desk. When he examined the pictures, Henry found they were all of his father and someone else. A couple of empty picture frames were on the desk.  
  
"Those were supposed to be for you and the rest of our little family," Janyu said as he stepped into the office, "but I thought that you guys might get captured or harmed if some lunatic used your faces to find you."  
  
"Did anyone know your name?"  
  
Janyu shook his head. "We all had codenames, except for some of the more elite members. I used to be Tao."  
  
Henry made a noncommittal noise.  
  
"You said you had some questions?" Janyu asked.  
  
"Yeah, actually. There are these people following me and the others around, generally spying on us so far. They haven't done much more than that, but Rika wants me to find some answers, and you know people like this."  
  
Janyu sat in his chair, staring out at the cityscape. "Can you be any more specific? That wasn't a question."  
  
Henry smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I meant to ask if you knew anything about these guys."  
  
"Yes, actually. There are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of branches of organizations like the one I worked for. Most of the time, they just watch and document, strictly staying on the sidelines. Groups like these coordinate slayers on occasion, although slayers mostly work for themselves. We have our own chain of command and method of doing things, but these guys are a league up. They give us work from time to time, and provide us with whatever data we need."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"I know. Like I said, these people almost never involve themselves in matters. Slayers make jokes about them all the time, usually calling them cowards and whatnot. But make no mistake, watchers can know you as well as you know yourself, if not better. These guys are the ones who make sure no one is fighting blind."  
  
"Is there anything we can do about them?"  
  
Janyu looked at his son. "We? Who said anything about we?"  
  
Henry held up his hands. "Hey, I just meant others like myself, those being watched."  
  
Janyu resumed staring at the cityscape. "Not really. They have some fairly decent defenses, and do good jobs of keeping their HQs hidden from their enemies."  
  
"What about their names? You said there were different branches."  
  
"And each branch has its own identity. The one in Tokyo, which covers most of Japan, is Hypnos, named after the God of Nightmares."  
  
"Wow," Henry said again. Religious affiliation, almost. In the very least, these peeping toms were taking the name of a deity. "I should go now."  
  
"Back to your little sweetheart, huh?"  
  
Henry glowered at his father. "Don't talk about her like that."  
  
"She's a vampire, Henry. They're subhuman."  
  
Henry could hardly believe how calm Janyu was while saying such things. He wanted to strangle the man.  
  
"And am I subhuman too, because I'm also a vampire?" he demanded.  
  
"Of course not!" Janyu snapped. "You're my son, damnit! My own flesh and blood!"  
  
"The way you act, the resemblance is virtually nonexistent!"  
  
"You show me some respect, young man!"  
  
"Or what? You'll stake me?"  
  
Janyu seemed to have lost words. He and Henry could both feel the anger, but the former slayer had nothing he could say to lessen his ire. Turning away from the boy, Janyu watched the city again.  
  
"I'll get you back, boy," Janyu said in a low, certain voice. "Believe me."  
  
"I know, Dad. But in your current condition, it's rather impossible for you to turn your son back from a bloodsucking freak into a normal human boy."  
  
"Henry?"  
  
"What?" the boy asked irritably.  
  
"The reason I got like this is because I ran into a vampire. Only it had seriously cranked powers. Two stakes, holy water, garlic, and a lost of fist-to-face action did nothing except make him laugh and maybe get him slowly pissed off."  
  
"I'll keep an eye out," the other said briskly.  
  
Henry faded away, and Janyu's mind was consumed by darkness.  
  
Withdrawing, the vampire stared at his sleeping father for a moment. The man seemed almost helpless, but even Hitler had looked cute when sleeping like a baby.  
  
Something that Janyu Wong most definitely was not.  
  
Sighing, and keeping a scowl back, Henry left the room.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Rika, who had been waiting outside the room with Mayumi, locked in a staring contest, was dreading the worst. When Henry left the room, he surprised both females by walking straight away, not paying them any heed. Rika went after him while Mayumi checked on her husband to see if he was still breathing. She knew he could be volatile sometimes, and was dreading what had happened between the two men.  
  
"Henry?" Rika asked as she caught up with him. "What is it now?"  
  
"Everything got screwed over big time," he said curtly. "Those nuts watching us have branches the world over, and some kind of super-vampire busted my dad, putting him in here. We need to talk with the others about this, because things are about to go straight to hell."  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
AUTHOR: Hope that was some good! 


	6. Orders Part Two

Shadowed Friendship 2: Black Redemption  
  
By Blackheart Syaoran  
  
AUTHOR: Thanks for reviewing and sorry for the wait!  
  
TO Henrika: I'll answer that question as best I can in later chapters, hopefully.  
  
TO Anime Master ZERO: I'm doing the best rivalry between girls I can, dude! I'm a guy! So bite me! And thanks for the one compliment!  
  
TO Hitomi No Ryu: I told you not to read this story. You are really pissing me off.  
  
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Chapter 6: Orders Part Two  
  
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In the middle of Tokyo, a very unique building stood. A private and extremely exclusive branch of the Japanese government, which also funded the operation and operations of the building and its users, owned it. The building was staffed by the members of a "secret organization," as everyone was oh-so-fond of calling it. The Director, Doppo Asahara, had never bothered referring to his department as some hidden piece of reality, but had always called it by its real name. Some of the others considered it a slight breach of security, if word ever got out to the public or to the organization's enemies, but Asahara was hardly worried. He was not troubled calling his little society by the name it had been given.  
  
Hypnos.  
  
Named after the Greek God of Sleep, the organization had contributed to the demise of a great number of threats to the Earth, ranging from power-mad demons to bloodthirsty cults of vampires and werewolves, and the list didn't stop there.  
  
Then again, neither did the society.  
  
Spanning the world, Hypnos and its sister organizations were the eyes, ears, and dagger-wielding fists of the blissfully ignorant public. Hypnos had existed for many years, but under a different name: The Ida-Ten Warriors. Ever since it had been established in ancient Japan, the organization's goal had been what its name represented" Justice. In Japanese Mythology, Ida-Ten was the guardian of the law, god of legal victory and---most importantly to the society's followers---justice.  
  
The Warriors knew, as the people of Japan knew, that there were unchecked evils violating the "planet's innocence." Basically, the people believed that the world was born innocent and untouched by darkness, as a child is when it is born. In order to preserve this innocence, the Warriors were created. Being kept as nothing more than rumors at the very most, the order had continued through the ages, each new generation consisting not only of people simply recruited in through "special methods," but also the descendants of those who were originally members Warriors themselves. Entire families and bloodlines were part of the society. Asahara, whose lineage was made up of Ida-Ten Warriors for many generations, had little choice but to join the fight against evil. Of course, he wouldn't have taken any other job anyway: He had always been the protector when younger, standing up for those who could not properly defend themselves.  
  
But the order had changed at one point, one terrible point, when things went the worst the possibly could for the world.  
  
Banding together, criminals of every kind in Japan had created the Amatsu Mikaboshi Overlords. The goal of this dark society was to further the purposes of its god, Amatsu Mikaboshi: The Overlords would spread evil and darkness throughout the land, which were the two things Mikaboshi stood for in Japanese mythology. Luckily, with some help from another secret protector society, the Warriors had defeated this threat. It did arise for retribution, only smaller and under the name of "the Emma-Hoo Slayers." For a second, and final, time, the dark order was defeated, all of its members killed in grisly battle.  
  
Asahara sighed, letting himself slip back into the future. He and the rest of the council needed to convene. They had been reeling after the losses they had recently suffered, and had only just gotten around to getting their shit together.  
  
Asahara entered the room, the kind all-too-perfect for a board meeting, which this pretty much was. He looked every bit the part of the wizened leader: He had a balding head with wispy strands of gray hair, deep lines on his face, and was a little stocky. Dressed in his business suit, he seemed utterly convincing. Asahara took his seat at the head of the long table, greeting the others neutrally. There were only three others this time, two agents and a second council member, but the last one wouldn't say a word; the last time he had spoken, it had been right before a major incident, one that served as Japan's greatest embarrassment.  
  
"Well?" he asked brusquely. He wanted this done with.  
  
"Director Asahara, we have been monitoring the creatures, as per your exact orders," Megumi said. She was still wearing her uniform. "Both Agent Riley and myself have watched them for over a week now, and have found out something very interesting."  
  
Asahara raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."  
  
Megumi nodded. "Agent Riley and myself learned that one of the monster's, Henry Wong, recently received a message from one hospital that his father, Janyu Wong, had been seriously injured. Henry, Mrs. Wong, and a young girl whom we believe to be Henry's age, all went to see Janyu Wong. The boy and his father engaged in what seemed to be heated conversation, while the girl and the mother remained in the waiting room."  
  
"Do we know who this young girl is?" Asahara asked.  
  
Megumi flipped through her folder, scanning the papers quickly. "She has been tentatively identified as one Rika Nonaka, sir. I have her file here now."  
  
Asahara shook his head. "I don't need to examine it right now. What is her relationship with the Wongs?"  
  
Megumi scanned for a moment before answering. "She has engaged in several meetings with the family or its members in particular. We believe she also had a part in the possible attempted murder of two young boys her age, although this has not entirely been confirmed."  
  
Asahara frowned. "And why not?"  
  
Megumi checked her papers again. "A young girl fitting Nonaka's description was mentioned in a phone call to the police approximately two months ago. Nothing was found to indicate she had ever been there, but evidence from one of our own former members was collected by the authorities."  
  
Asahara sat straight up at that. "What do you mean, one of our members?"  
  
"It says here that Yamaki confronted the girl, his son, and two others shortly after the phone call was placed. Since all of Agent Yamaki's stakes were found in his pack at the battle site, we believe Janyu Wong to have left the evidence behind."  
  
Asahara rubbed his forehead, growling. He didn't need this crap. "Have we recovered those items?"  
  
"Yes, sir. It was done not long after the incidents occurred. We even managed to collect the police reports and all relevant records. All that we have not gathered is in the minds of the people involved, sir."  
  
"That's not so bad," Asahara considered. "What else of this Wong boy's relationships?"  
  
"Apparently, his associates at school are also under our surveillance. He is friends with Takato Matsuki, a suspected werewolf; Jeri Kato, who is as yet undefined; and Kazu Orochi and Kenta Akita. The last two we have determined are normal humans."  
  
Asahara nodded. "Good, good. But what of Janyu Wong's condition? How did he end up in the hospital?"  
  
"Apparently, he had an alleged run-in with some sort of unknown monster, sir," Riley Dazai spoke up. "We are still making inquiries."  
  
"Good, because I want to know who could possibly take down one of the toughest people on the planet. He may never have worked directly for us, but Janyu Wong did a service to everyone when he was a slayer."  
  
Much as he did not want it to, this meeting was bringing back "ancient history": Janyu Wong had worked for the Red Lotuses, a Hong Kong branch of the world-spanning Guardian Order, an order dedicated to the Chinese god Kuan Ti, who was the god of war and protected people from injustice and evil spirits. Hypnos and its previous incarnation, the Ida-Ten Warriors, had also been a part of that league of planet defenders. When he was much younger, Asahara had idolized Janyu Wong. The man had practically invented slaying! Wong's supporters held that Wong was the ultimate slayer, and that there was hardly a person alive who even came close to his level. Not long ago, the Order had considered giving such an honor to Yamaki, before the aspiring slayer had been killed in action. Only Yamaki had come close to possessing Wong's fierce devotion to the Order's Three Vows: To protect, to enlighten, and to lead.  
  
Asahara sighed inwardly, and it was a very heavy sigh. Yamaki was Japan's best slayer---or had been, while alive. If Janyu Wong was going for his final rest on the Last Futon, it was very major news. Losing that man meant losing one of the best.  
  
"Sir?" Megumi asked after a moment, when Asahara had not said anything.  
  
"Sorry, just reminiscing. What did I miss?"  
  
"I was going to suggest that we move in on the children and interrogate them, sir. The Wong boy and his mother, and possibly the Nonaka girl and her family, may know what attacked Janyu Wong. If there are rival, destructive organizations out there, and they hold responsibility for the older Wong's assault, then this could be our chance for greatness, and to really fulfill the Three Vows!"  
  
Asahara frowned as he thought this over. Fulfilling the Three Vows was a major part of every Guardian's life. However, morality was always an issue, no matter what: The "regular" governments of the world were despised for their completely inexcusable treatment of certain people, such as political prisoners or those who wanted to change things for the better. If Hypnos abducted several families and a bunch of children, how could its members not be detested?  
  
"No, Agent, I don't think I can allow such a thing."  
  
"But, Director---!" Riley started to say, but was cut off.  
  
"I said no, Agent Dazai, and you would do well to heed my orders," Asahara ground out through clenched teeth.  
  
"Yes, Director," the young woman said, bowing her head.  
  
"Now, unless there is any more new business, I think this meeting is concluded. I want you to monitor the children and their families, nothing more. Alert me on anything about Janyu Wong. Unless Yamaki mysteriously rises from the grave, Wong is the last best man we have." Asahara paused, grinning as he shook his head. "Ah, Yamaki Enoki: The best player Hypnos ever had."  
  
With a final, curt nod, the Director of Hypnos left the room.  
  
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AUTHOR: Well, I hope that was pretty good, because I had to do a ton of research into Japanese and Greek/Roman mythology for that!  
  
READ N REVIEW! 


	7. Line Of Fire

Shadowed Friendship 2: Black Redemption  
  
By Blackheart Syaoran  
  
AUTHOR: Thanks for reviewing and sorry for the wait!  
  
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Chapter 7: Line Of Fire  
  
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'I must admit, the world has changed so very much since the days when I was walking its crust.'  
  
Cloaked in the shadows, Myotismon watched the cityscape's lights, his eyes like two chips of ice. His black cape billowed out over the roof's edge as he observed the endless bustling of the Japanese. He had no desire to go down there and be of any help---oh no, he had a much different agenda. Indeed, the only reason he had come to Tokyo was to "make contact" with another of his kind, one Rika Nonaka Wong. The girl had piqued his interest, even when he had read the feeble amount of information on her from the mind of that silly female, Felicia. That foolish young "leader" had given him some very tasty things to learn about even younger Rika.  
  
Apparently, the girl was only about ten, and her parentage was something of a small mystery. Her mother was the renowned model Rumiko Nonaka, who had, surprisingly, conceived Rika as a full vampire instead of a half-breed. Myotismon himself had rarely run into things such as Rika. In cases such as hers, the offspring were commonly hybrids of both the human and vampire species, not simply one of the two. This, however, bothered him little; he would find her and do what he intended.  
  
Her husband, though, was more in-line. Henry Wong was turned by his own wife, and then eloped with her, honeymooning in none other than Transylvania itself. At this, Myotismon had to raise an eyebrow. The couple, apparently, had some taste. From the data culled from Felicia, the King of Vampires also learned that Rika had an early hatred of werewolves, along with a healthy contempt for most things living, save for her own family. It made Myotismon smile that she had brutally murdered a boy who had once courted her.  
  
'It's too bad she gave up her old ways,' he coldly mourned. 'Werewolves and their ilk are really little more than filth and evolutionary throwbacks, hardly amounting to anything but genetic missteps. Those kinds of creatures need to be eradicated. Young Rika had noble intentions when she was after that wolf-boy's blood, though she did change her mind. Annoying his mate is a small way of making that up. Her husband, as well, demonstrates a small form of loathing for those pitiful fools called slayers. It is a regret, though, that he himself is the son of a slayer, and a powerful slayer at that.'  
  
Myotismon paused to reflect on that statement.  
  
'Well, a formerly powerful slayer. How the mighty fall. Janyu Wong will not be the first of his kind to die by my hand. Once the girl has been righted for her misdeeds, this world will worship at my altar.'  
  
A cold and stolid laugh echoed out from the shadows, and, as if on cue, the rain began to fall.  
  
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Takato, dressed in his usual clothes but now sporting a matching blue raincoat, shook the water drops off his person as he entered his family's store. He pulled down the hood, rotating his head and cracking his neck. After adjusting his goggles slightly so that they were perfect, he removed the spare article of clothing and deposited it on a chair behind the counter. As he looked around the shop, he realized it had an odd, empty feeling to it.  
  
"Mom, Dad!" he called.  
  
"They're out," Henry said as he appeared from the back, keeping to the shadows just beyond the doorway. Apparently, even with the overcast weather, he didn't want to take chances.  
  
Takato blinked in surprise. "Shouldn't you be at home with Rika?"  
  
"Should be, but Rika got all jittery and started acting strange. She had Renamon do a full patrol of the grounds, and still was shaky. She dragged me over here."  
  
"Really? What about Renamon?"  
  
"She's out looking for Impmon, mainly because Rika doesn't feel safe."  
  
Takato's jaw dropped. "Doesn't feel safe? Since when has she ever acted like this?"  
  
"Never," Henry said, sounding slightly exasperated. "She's under some crazy form of stress, and isn't even telling me what it is. I'm her husband, and she won't say a word to me. It makes me feel worthless."  
  
"What's Rika doing about all this?"  
  
Henry jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "She's curled up in the back, mumbling about some terrible force that's coming for her."  
  
"For her? Why?"  
  
"You don't honestly expect me to know?"  
  
Takato smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I was just hoping you might know. Rika isn't easy to scare."  
  
Henry nodded. "Tell me about it. I don't think I've ever seen her scared, of anything."  
  
'This must be really serious,' Takato thought. 'Rika getting the heebie- jeebies, sending Renamon to hunt for Impmon, and then hiding out at my place with Henry, whom she says not a word of explanation to? Creepy.'  
  
"Why do you have circles under your eyes?" Takato asked.  
  
"I've been up all night and day since Rika started complaining."  
  
"Ouch."  
  
"Can you try to get a word out of her? She won't say much to me," Henry asked.  
  
Takato shrugged. "What are friends for?"  
  
Henry led the way, and they pair found Rika in the far corner of one of the backrooms, huddled with her arms holding her knees tightly to her chest. She looked like she was in a coma, the way she just stared, as if there was no world.  
  
"Rika?" Takato asked. "You feeling okay?"  
  
When she didn't respond, Henry suggested, "Try making her mad."  
  
Takato's stomach dropped. "Are you crazy? She'll kill me!"  
  
"It's all I can think of," the vampire retorted.  
  
Mustering his courage, Takato said, as calmly and truthfully as possible, "Rika, I find myself attracted to both your mother and grandmother, and I get really horny around them, being the sick freak that I am."  
  
The result was instantaneous: Rika tackled Takato linebacker-style into a stack of boxes, knocking them over and spilling the contents all across the floor. Her punches were fast, hard, and practically nonstop.  
  
Henry grabbed his wife from behind, trying his best to pull her off while yelling, "Rika, he didn't mean it!"  
  
"You're dead, you hear me?" Rika snarled, struggling in Henry's grip. "No one says that and lives!"  
  
"Rika, I put him up to it!" Henry shouted.  
  
Rika stopped struggling. "Oh. Uh, sorry, Takato. I kind of got, uh, carried away there."  
  
From where he lay on the floor, Takato mumbled, "It's all right."  
  
Henry raised an eyebrow. "How can you even talk? You look like hell."  
  
"I only gave him a split lip and maybe a few loose teeth," Rika said.  
  
"His lip is split in at least five places!" Henry said.  
  
"I see no difference between one and five," the other vampire responded calmly.  
  
Sighing, Henry rubbed a temple. Rika was completely incorrigible. Henry helped Takato stand back up, and then turned to Rika.  
  
"Rika, I was telling Takato about those bad vibes you've been getting."  
  
Rika rolled her eyes. "You can never shut your trap, can you?"  
  
"I'm like that three times a month," Takato said proudly.  
  
"And during those times, you sound like Henry when he's singing in the shower," Rika smirked.  
  
Henry gaped at the girl. "You didn't have to tell him that!"  
  
"Sure I didn't," she responded smoothly.  
  
"Guys?" Takato interrupted. "Shouldn't we please get on with these bad vibes? It sounds pretty big to me, and you know how we attract trouble."  
  
Henry nodded. "Takato's right: We need to focus on the big picture."  
  
Rika sniffed. "The only big picture you guys know is at the cinema."  
  
"Rika, please!" Henry said.  
  
"Fine, fine!" she snapped. "But I'm only telling him the basic version."  
  
"Why?" Takato asked.  
  
"Because you'll think I'm a nut or something."  
  
Takato shrugged. "Okay by me."  
  
"In a nutshell, I keep getting the feeling that someone is watching my every move, and that they are going to come get me. These feelings started only about a day ago, and I've tried to get some decent rest lately, but every time I try, I see myself in some weird dream."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"I'm not pale, not afraid of being vaporized, and I feel complete, almost as if something that was missing for so long finally came back to me."  
  
After a moment, Takato said, "Well, you're right, that is weird."  
  
"What do you think it means?" Henry asked.  
  
Takato shook his head. "I have no idea. I had weird dreams, but those ended after our earlier escapades. Whatever your dreams mean, Rika, they are probably hinting at something bigger than we've ever been in."  
  
Rika scowled. "Great, more bad news."  
  
That was when the shop's front exploded.  
  
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"Alpha Team, this is Bravo. We are in position, and are good to go. Repeat: We are good to go."  
  
In the alley behind the Matsukis' shop/home, a team of eight slayers waited. They were decked out in full S.W.A.T team style, packing specialized weaponry for dealing with both the vampires and the lone werewolf. Each member was a trained killer, and ready to do just that. Against a bunch of kids, they were already the winners.  
  
"Bravo, enter and eliminate the targets," the command came from Alpha Team.  
  
Kicking in the door, the men charged inside.  
  
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Through the smoke, Takato yelled, "What the hell was that?"  
  
"We're under attack!" Rika said. "And Renamon isn't even here!"  
  
"Come on!" Henry snapped. "We need to get out!"  
  
The sounds of charging footsteps arose, and the trio spun to see the slayers rushing them.  
  
Without conscious thought, Rika lashed out, ripping open a couple of cables that ran up the wall. Her free hand whipped out her lighter from a jacket pocket, and she flicked it open and ignited a flame. Aiming the tubes at the slayers, she squeezed it while holding the lit flame up to the open ends.  
  
With a sizzling roar, a stream of fire flew at the assailants, engulfing and roasting them alive. After a moment, she let up, and they all got a good view of the men, who were now lying on the floor, smoldering.  
  
"God, Rika, do you have to be so harsh?" Takato asked, feeling sick.  
  
"Just doing what comes natural," the girl replied.  
  
"Guys, I hate to interrupt, but we really have to go now!" Henry snapped.  
  
The pair followed as he led the way upstairs and into Takato's room, looking around for an exit. Fortunately, the young werewolf's room had a window.  
  
"Across the roofs!" Henry ordered.  
  
He threw open the window, letting Rika climb out first. She kicked off fiercely, landing on the roof of the next building over. With a strong push from Henry, Takato made it across, hitting the side of the building. Rika helped him up onto the roof while Henry landed there himself.  
  
"Who the hell were those guys?" Rika asked.  
  
"You're asking me?" Takato said, breathing heavily. "Oh man, my parents are going to KILL me! Wait till they see the shop!"  
  
"That's not important right now," Henry said. "What is important is that we get away from here, and fast. The sun will be up eventually, and we need a place to hide."  
  
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"Commander, there's no one here but our dead teammates," the colonel said.  
  
"I know that," the commander snapped. "Barbequed, yuck. What a way to go."  
  
"It's not the only way to go," a cold, malicious voice whispered.  
  
"Who the?" the commander demanded as he and his troops whirled about, training their weapons on everything and nothing.  
  
"Commander, this isn't exactly a sanctioned hit," the colonel reminded his superior. "We don't stand much chance receiving backup should we call for it."  
  
"Nor do you children stand much chance against me," the voice said, and its owner materialized before the troops' very eyes.  
  
Tall, skeletally thin, skin a pale white, wearing a blue Dracula-like outfit and a reddish-colored mask, blond hair slicked back save for two locks, and smiling cruelly, Myotismon revealed himself. His long, black cape billowed out behind him as he swung his fist back and smacked the first slayer aside as though the man were nothing more than a toy.  
  
"Attack!" the commander ordered, training his gun on the Vampire King.  
  
"Oh please," Myotismon yawned as he grabbed the weapon and jerked, sending the commander flying over one shoulder and into a wall. The other slayers opened fire, but, impossibly, their special ammunition did nothing to slow the killer.  
  
Looming over the mere humans like a giant, Myotismon murdered them all in a cold, methodical pattern.  
  
Save, of course, for the commander. He was the last to go.  
  
"Since you and I are both leaders of sorts, I think it only natural that you should be killed in a rather unique fashion," Myotismon said, calmly striding over to the fallen commander.  
  
"And what would that be, freak?" the man spat.  
  
Myotismon only chuckled. "Ah, bigotry. How much I have missed it."  
  
Spreading his cape out like a pair of enormous wings, he roared, "Grisly Wing!"  
  
At once, countless black bats appeared from thin air, right out of the center of Myotismon's chest. Like a great black herd, they flew at the commander, and both they and their master ignored the human's screams.  
  
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"I don't feel so good," Rika groaned.  
  
"We haven't even gone anywhere," Henry said. "We've just sat here, listening to the screams of those commandoes inside the shop. Spooky."  
  
"Tell me," Takato said. "What do you think iced them?"  
  
Before either Henry or Rika could respond, a voice coolly informed them, "I 'iced' them, little boy."  
  
Their hairs, amazingly enough, were standing on end as the trio turned around to see Myotismon standing only twenty feet away. He didn't appear to be in any sort of hurry, acting completely calm and at ease. This made the three uneasy, as they all knew such a thing meant a guy like Myotismon had to have a ton of power backing him.  
  
"Who are you?" Henry asked.  
  
"Your lord and master, child," Myotismon replied. "I am Myotismon, King of Vampires."  
  
Takato threw a wry look at Rika. "Hey, Rika, looks like your boss just found you cutting work."  
  
Rika looked over at him with a glare. "Thanks, gogglehead."  
  
"We have bigger problems to deal with other than your egos, guys!" Henry snapped.  
  
"Your husband's right, Rika," Myotismon drawled. "Especially since all those awful feelings you've been getting were telling the truth: I have come to get you."  
  
Rika snorted. "You and who's army?"  
  
Surprisingly, Myotismon laughed, sending shivers down the trio's spines.  
  
"Ah, bravado, so rarely is it seen in the youth of this world!" He seemed genuinely happy, though at what the three didn't know. His laughter ending, Myotismon stared intently at them. "Despite whatever plans you might have, the girl will be coming with me."  
  
Henry protectively stepped in front of Rika. "Over my undead body."  
  
Takato moved next to his best friend. "And my regular dead body."  
  
Myotismon chuckled. "At least your statements aren't completely pathetic." Before they knew what happened, he whipped an arm at them, shouting, "Crimson Lightning!"  
  
A sizzling, bright crimson band of energy lashed out at the two boys, giving them no time to react as it blew them off their feet and into the alley below. The landed with a double-thud, with Takato atop Henry, the latter breaking the former's fall. Henry could feel dull pain in his chest, and knew he had to have at least a few broken bones. Takato couldn't move, disoriented as hell, his head pounding.  
  
Rika whistled in astonishment as she rose from the rooftop, which she had thrown herself flat on to avoid getting hit.  
  
"Not bad, big man, but you still have me," she said.  
  
Myotismon chuckled again, slowly annoying Rika.  
  
"I haven't finished yet. I have one last card up my sleeve."  
  
Rika cocked an eyebrow. "And that would be?"  
  
"Nightmare Claw!" Myotismon roared as he thrust an open hand at Rika. The girl thought briefly that if he had a bloody heart in his hand, he would really look the part of the madman. A grayish-purple energy flew from his fist at her, so fast it seemed unreal. The energy hit her right in the chest, and Rika saw stars in her eyes. Her legs gave out and she began to crumple, but halted halfway there, as Myotismon had caught her.  
  
"Now, now, little one, I have plans for you yet," he said softly before picking her up and rising into the air. If someone were to watch the two now, it would seem as though he were a dark savior rescuing an innocent child from harm.  
  
And then he was gone, and Rika with him.  
  
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Henry didn't know how long he and Takato had been lying on the ground, unable to move. Time had been lost the second he hit the alley's pavement. Groaning, he tried to sit up, and found not only pain in the attempt, but also a great weight upon his chest.  
  
Opening his eyes, Henry saw Takato laying on top of him, the brown-haired boy still unconscious. It took a while, but Henry managed to push Takato off and force himself to stand, assessing the situation.  
  
'I'm busted up, Takato might be worse, and Rika---'  
  
He froze as he thought of his wife.  
  
"Rika!" he yelled upwards, hoping for a response. After several more tries, he gravely realized she wasn't there.  
  
'That Myotismon lunatic must have kidnapped her,' Henry thought. 'Great. Now I need to heal myself, get Takato to safety, avoid slayers, and find my missing wife, as well as beat the crap out of the King of Vampires. Can this day get any worse?'  
  
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AUTHOR: Oooh, what happens next?  
  
READ N REVIEW! 


	8. Blood, Sweat, And Tears

Shadowed Friendship 2: Black Redemption  
  
By Blackheart Syaoran  
  
AUTHOR: Thanks for reviewing and sorry for the wait!  
  
TO Anime Master ZERO: I can't say that he does Digivolve. Sorry.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Chapter 8: Blood, Sweat, And Tears  
  
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The first thing that jolted Henry awake was the pain---sharp, precise, and relentless. He gasped, even though he needn't have, and forced his heavy eyes open. Takato was still out cold. Henry gritted his teeth, wondering why he was waking up for a second time.  
  
'I must have blacked out after deciding to kill that caped psycho,' Henry thought. He tried to sit up, but something stabbed his insides and he immediately lay down again. Pressing one spot after another tenderly, Henry figured he must have gotten a broken rib from Takato landing atop him. 'Let's just hope Takato doesn't have worse.'  
  
Gritting his teeth, Henry forced himself to stand and heft Takato over one shoulder, carrying the boy cautiously as he made his way out of the alley, clinging to the shadows in the dying night. Day would come soon, and Henry wouldn't be able to last more than a few seconds in the murderous rays of light. He couldn't allow that to happen.  
  
'Only one place to go now that Takato's family's store is kaput, and that's Rika's home.' Henry grimaced at the thought. 'Her relatives are going to kill me.'  
  
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Mrs. Takato was too busy reading the paper to be bothered to look up and see what had happened to her home. Her husband, being the driver, did see what had become of the small, family-owned and operated bakery. He blinked his eyes in utter disbelief, unable to say anything as they drove closer.  
  
"Honey," he managed to rasp out after a moment. "I think you better take a look at our home."  
  
She looked up and asked irritably, "What?" When she saw the remains of her abode, however, she gasped loudly, eyes wide as dinner plates. She madly began slapping her husband on the shoulder, ordering him to hurry up and get there. He did as told, and when he stopped she leapt from the car, almost breaking through the line of policemen keeping onlookers back.  
  
"Let me through!" she wailed. "My son is in there!"  
  
"Lady, we aren't letting any unauthorized person in," the cop said. "We're still figuring out what happened here."  
  
"What /did/ happen here?" Mr. Matsuki demanded.  
  
"I'm afraid we're not at liberty to say," the cop answered.  
  
"But we live here, damn it!" Mrs. Matsuki snapped. "We have a damn right to know what happened to our damn home!"  
  
"Fine," the cop growled. "From the obvious, your home got blown up."  
  
Mrs. Matsuki stood there, agape, while her husband asked, "What? Blown up?"  
  
The cop nodded.  
  
"But our son---!"  
  
"Lady, calm down!" the cop snapped. "We're investigating right now, but we haven't found anything but destroyed possessions and a bunch of men's bodies."  
  
"Men? No little boys?" Mr. Matsuki asked anxiously.  
  
"None that I was made aware of."  
  
"Oh thank Kwannon," Mrs. Matsuki breathed, relieved to no end that her little boy was not dead---at least, not in the former house.  
  
"Excuse me," another policeman said when he came over, "but are you two the owners and operators of this place?"  
  
"We are," answered Mr. Matsuki. "Can we help you?"  
  
"I was hoping you would, actually. We seem to have found a number of bodies inside your home, half of them roasted alive and the rest of them killed by other means. One of them even appears to be partially eaten."  
  
"What?" Mr. Matsuki said, shocked.  
  
"These bodies also are all armed with weapons that are restricted to SWAT and military divisions. We were wondering if you could help us with some answers."  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
It was very close to daybreak when Henry arrived at the Nonaka residence. Seiko and Rumiko would most likely be asleep at the present hour. Calling for Renamon, Henry got Takato to Rika and his bedroom, setting the young werewolf on the futon.  
  
"What happened?" Renamon asked. "Where is Rika?"  
  
Henry had no trouble detecting the pain in her voice. Evidently, she was furious with herself for not protecting her charge.  
  
"Rika's been kidnapped," he said, and the magical creature gasped. "Some madman calling himself Myotismon, the King of Vampires, knocked me and Takato off a roof and took her."  
  
"But...how?" Renamon asked, barely able to believe this. "I should have detected something so strong...shouldn't I?"  
  
"I honestly don't know." Henry shook his head. "Things have gone from bad to worse. We have no idea where they are, Takato's home is wrecked to hell, Takato himself is out like a light, and I'm just done recovering from a broken rib. All in all, I'd say today is not a day to smile on."  
  
Renamon nodded and went to wait for Seiko and Rumiko to wake up, at which time she would tell the women what had happened. Of course, neither would be anything less than upset. Henry scowled and took his place in his coffin, a pang going through him as he glanced at Rika's empty casket. Fortunately, he fell asleep quickly, exhausted from the events of earlier.  
  
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Doppo Asahara scanned the room, taking in the two female monitors, Riley Dazai and Megumi Onodera, as well as the rest of the computer people watching over Tokyo and most of Japan. He had been working without much sleep for a while now, and would have gone home hours ago, but he kept getting a feeling something was not right.  
  
He grumbled, rubbing his aching eyes---and jumped when the sirens went off. Asahara looked around, trying to figure out what the heck was going on.  
  
"What's happening?" he demanded. "What set those alarms off?"  
  
"Sir, we seem to have a situation in another section of the city!" Agent Riley answered.  
  
"What situation? I want some data, damn it! And kill those blasted sirens!"  
  
The alarms were stopped almost instantly, and Asahara straightened his suit. He despised loud noises.  
  
"Sir, we've traced one of our teams to downtown Tokyo!" Megumi reported.  
  
"I authorized no team to go there. What are they doing in that section of the city?"  
  
"They're dead, sir," Riley called down. "I'm picking up police calls, and each one mentions a host of bodies inside a home."  
  
"In what condition are these bodies?" Asahara asked, his anger rising. He didn't like situations like these.  
  
Riley responded, "Several have been roasted alive, seemingly from being engulfed in flames, while others have died as if in battle."  
  
Asahara ran his hands through his hair. If the public got wind of Hypnos, he was finished. He took a deep breath and forced himself to get some control before he blew his stack.  
  
"All right, people, I want complete and supreme spin control. I want every gram of information coming straight to us; I want all evidence traced; I want to know whose home that was; and I want to know where anyone involved is. Get to work!"  
  
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AUTHOR: A little short, but not much was intended for this chapter; it was supposed to affect the plot/whatnot.  
  
READ N REVIEW! 


	9. Into The Fire

Shadowed Friendship 2: Black Redemption  
  
By Blackheart Syaoran  
  
AUTHOR: Thanks for reviewing and sorry for the wait!  
  
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Chapter 9: Into The Fire  
  
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She didn't know why her head was still pounding (after all, it seemed as though she had been asleep for centuries), but she did know that she didn't like it one bit. Groaning, she tried to open her eyes and found them heavier than concrete slabs. With a focused effort, she managed to get her left eye open, and then her right one.  
  
Rika Nonaka Wong twisted her head to each side as she looked around, effectively cracking her neck and getting a good look at her surroundings. She was tied at the wrists, her arms pulled back and a large /something/ jammed into the middle of her back. Her legs were free, but though she tried to escape her predicament even in the least by kicking wildly, it did no good.  
  
Scowling, she gave up and resigned herself to muttering angrily under her breath while looking around the room. Even though she had already been awake for several minutes, she hadn't taken a single second to study her surroundings.  
  
The chamber was, to put it lightly, enormous: The ceiling had to be at least twenty feet above her head, with the floor ten or fifteen feet from the tips of her shoes; the room had to be eighty feet across in every direction; the wall (well, the room was round, thus having only one wall) was covered in what might have been ornate wood carvings, with golden lettering glittering on each carving. Below her, Rika could see a very large, circular platform that covered almost the entire floor. Above, the ceiling was engulfed in shadows.  
  
'I seem to be stuck in a very round room,' Rika thought with dripping sarcasm. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to keep her temper in check. 'Hey, wait a minute. Why don't I just get my own butt outta here?'  
  
Mentally berating herself for not having come to this decision the moment she had woken up, Rika braced herself. Arcing her back more so than it already was, she snapped forward, or at least tried to.  
  
Her attempt left her inwardly knocked around, as though she had just taken a full cycle in a clothes drier. Shaken her head to clear everything up, Rika glanced around, hoping to spot an exit she could use if she ever did get free.  
  
But no, there was nothing, not a single door. This only made Rika angrier, and she eagerly vented her emotions through the usage of colorful---and loud---invectives.  
  
"Temper, temper, little girl," a smooth, cold voice drawled reproachfully.  
  
Breaking off her current foul word, Rika looked around for the voice's owner. When she saw nothing, her brow furrowed. What in the hell was going on?  
  
A shriek sounded, snapping Rika's attention to a single black bat as it flew down from the ceiling and landed in the middle of the circular platform. Rika raised an eyebrow and looked around, expecting more. When nothing else happened, she called, "Is that all you got?"  
  
As if in reply, what must have been a dozen more bats flew down from above. They landed in a dog pile on top of the first bat. Rika stared, wondering if she was supposed to be impressed by the displays performed by the pets of the prick who had kidnapped her.  
  
Without warning, the pile of bats began to shudder, shifting and moving. Wet, snapping sounds echoed throughout the large chamber. Rika watched, completely stunned, as the wings of each bat /melted/ and became one with the melted wings of the other bats, forming a single mass of.../something/.  
  
Abruptly, the mass seemed to flow. Part of became longer and jet-black, while the rest of it lengthened and was other colors. The mass of many bats had become a single entity.  
  
Sweeping his cape away from his front and sides, Myotismon eased himself into an erect stance, his haughty gaze turned directly upon the captive vampire girl.  
  
"Nice trick," Rika complimented. "I'll have to learn it before I kill you."  
  
Myotismon chuckled, amused as ever. "You're determined, I'll give you that. Still, your efforts are all for naught: You will be 'punished' for your 'crimes against the vampire community' and I will rise again, stronger than ever before."  
  
"You have to be one of the most self-obsessed people I have ever met, you know that?" Rika asked.  
  
Myotismon waved this away. "You don't comprehend the situation, do you, child?"  
  
"Don't call me that," Rika warned with a menacing edge to her tone.  
  
Myotismon laughed. "Or what? Will you break free and proceed to cause me excessive pain before destroying me? So very naïve."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
He must have been finished with her for the time being, because Rika saw him turn on his heel and begin striding away.  
  
"Hey! Where the hell am I?" she demanded.  
  
"In a very special room," was his curt reply before he vanished.  
  
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Henry Wong dropped his head into his hands, becoming frustrated again. He took a deep breath and tried to keep his temper from exploding, but things were becoming much more complicated than he had wanted them.  
  
"So you're telling us," Rumiko said in a hollow voice, "that my daughter has been kidnapped by some monster who wants to kill her?"  
  
"I don't know /what/ he wants her for," Henry clarified. "He could want her dead, he could want her for himself, he could be doing someone's dirty work---there are countless reasons why he would kidnap Rika."  
  
"But do you know where she is?" Seiko asked. "Rika may be able to take care of herself, but she isn't the strongest girl in the world."  
  
Rumiko laughed humorlessly. "She might as well be."  
  
"Right now, Renamon's looking for someone who can help us find Rika and beat this guy," Henry told his in-laws.  
  
"Who?" asked a new voice, causing everyone to jump.  
  
Takato Matsuki shuffled into the living room, looking very disheveled and somewhat sleepy, despite the fact that he had slept through the whole day. The brown-haired boy took a seat on the couch across from Henry.  
  
"What time is it?" he asked sleepily.  
  
"8:15, Thursday," Henry said.  
  
Takato froze for a second, and then looked at his friend, shock written all over his face.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"You slept through the entire day, Takato," Henry said. "It's not that much of a surprise, given that you were thrown off of a building and landed on me."  
  
"Okay," Takato said slowly, letting the information sink in. "So how come /you're/ up and running?"  
  
"Healing factor."  
  
"Oh, yeah, forgot about that."  
  
Shump.  
  
Just about anyone would have missed that sound, but Henry had been waiting for Renamon's return. He stood and went to the door, sliding it open to see Renamon and her companion in the moonlight, the magical fox Digimon crouched low on the grass. Henry guessed she must have dropped from midair or something, which had made the sound that had alerted him to her arrival.  
  
"What took you so long, Renamon?" he asked as the two approached the house.  
  
"He was rather reluctant to leave his location," she answered.  
  
"You're damn right I was!" bellowed an angry Impmon. Though he appeared to be a cute, purple little imp with a happy face on his chest and a red handkerchief around his neck, he was in fact a hobgoblin, delighting in annoying people.  
  
Henry blinked, surprised by Impmon's tone. "What was he doing?" the vampire asked Renamon.  
  
"Gambling," Renamon said.  
  
"And I woulda won if you hadn't interrupted the game!" Impmon said. "I had those wood sprites right where I wanted 'em, and you come busting in, saying I gotta help you find Miss Ice Queen lickity split!"  
  
"This is /important/, Impmon!" Renamon snapped.  
  
"Renamon's right, Impmon," Henry agreed. "Rika's been abducted by some lunatic calling himself the King of Vampires and---"  
  
"Hold it!" Impmon yelled, so loudly that he could have easily woken up half the neighborhood.  
  
Henry and Renamon stopped cold at Impmon's outcry, turning to see why he had yelled. Rumiko and Seiko, with Takato behind them, were in the doorway, staring at the trio. Impmon stood only about two or three strides from Henry and Renamon, his face a mask of shock and something that resembled terror. He spoke with a wavering voice.  
  
"Let me get this right, Blueberry," he said to Henry, "you want me to help you get your woman back from a psycho like Myotismon?"  
  
"How do you know his name?" Renamon asked.  
  
"Never mind how I know his name!" Impmon barked. "All that matters is that I am NOT going up against him!"  
  
"And why not?" Rumiko demanded. "My daughter is out there, and you're here, perfectly safe and you won't even /try/ and help us!"  
  
"Because you have no idea what Myotismon is like!"  
  
"Actually, we /do/ have an idea," Takato said. "He kicked the crap out of me and Henry right before he abducted Rika."  
  
"Yeah, well, that hardly counts," Impmon said gruffly. "Myotismon is a whole lot scarier than you guys think."  
  
"Then would you please mind telling us about him, so that we can learn this fact for ourselves?" Seiko asked, gesturing for them to enter.  
  
After a moment of considering, Impmon shrugged. "I don't see why not, long as it's you guys and not me."  
  
He brushed past Henry and Renamon and entered the house, hopping up onto the coffee table and plucking a grape from the fruit bowl. The others sat down, eyeing him expectantly. When Impmon noticed this, he swallowed the grape he was currently eating.  
  
"So start with the questions already," he said.  
  
"Why not?" Henry asked. "It's not like we won't need to find out. So, who is this nut?"  
  
"Well, he isn't a nut. He's Myotismon, King of Vampires. He's the top dog, the king of the hill, and he will rule you," Impmon answered with the air of one discussing a supreme being.  
  
"Okay," Henry said, having noticed that very air, which I, the Author, just mentioned.  
  
"Is there anything else we need to know about?" Rumiko asked. "Such as his weaknesses?"  
  
Impmon took a long moment to consider this before responding. "To be honest with ya, I don't know. He's got a /huge/ reputation for being invincible in battle, and the rumors I've heard about what he does to those who 'displease' him---"  
  
Impmon broke off and involuntarily shuddered. When he regained his composure, he smiled apologetically at the others.  
  
"Sorry, I kinda get the heebie-jeebies when I think about the old and scary stuff that you guys never had to mess with."  
  
"Wait a minute!" Renamon said quickly. "Are you saying you 'messed with' Myotismon?"  
  
Everyone looked at Impmon with hopeful eyes, perhaps inwardly praying that he knew something that would help them save the day. He laughed nervously before answering.  
  
"Well, that is to say I /did/ get involved with him, but just once, and it was completely innocent, just business, I swear!"  
  
Henry held up a hand. "Look, we don't care if you had a romantic fling with the guy or not, just give us a general idea or something."  
  
"Oh, uh, sorry. Well, back when Myotismon was running the show for the vampires, I was working with a gang of goblins, trolls, and flying pigs. All we ever did was steal stuff and sell it. If we sold it back to the guy we stole it from, we /always/ charged him double and not any less."  
  
"Can we move past your shady business and on to the main target?" Seiko asked.  
  
"Oh, right. Anyway, old Supreme Suckhead sent me and my crew a messenger, who said that Myotismon would give us a ton of gold if we stole some expensive wine for him. None of us understood why he didn't just send his own lackeys, but we did as told and handed him the goods. When he tried to give us the gold, we told him to keep it and owe us a favor instead. Besides, we raided his private stores later and stole the stuff back."  
  
"Sounds like something only you would do," Renamon said, almost contemptuously.  
  
"Yeah, well, I kinda regret it," Impmon admitted.  
  
"Why?" Henry asked.  
  
"Because I tried to get in touch with my crew over the centuries, and we kept vanishing into thin air. I'm the only one left of that gang, and I'm really sure old Fang Face did my boys in himself."  
  
Rumiko asked, "Impmon, where exactly was the place where you delivered the wine? Was it Myotismon's castle?"  
  
"Are you thinking he went to an old haunt of his?" Henry asked the woman, and she nodded.  
  
"Actually, it /was/ the guy's castle, in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania," the hobgoblin said.  
  
"Then that must be where he's taken Rika!" Henry said. "We need to get there right away!"  
  
"Um, not a bad plan, but there's one major problem," said Takato, who had not spoken for a while.  
  
"And what would that be?" Renamon asked.  
  
"Henry's a vampire, so it won't be easy for him to get around, and I'm a werewolf, in case anyone's failed to remember---"  
  
"Nah," Impmon cut in, "we ain't forgotten you, Moon Boy."  
  
"Shut---up!" Henry snapped. "Anyone have any bright ideas on how to get to Romania?"  
  
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AUTHOR: Well, that wasn't /so/ bad!  
  
Next: Myotismon's plan is revealed, as well as some possible romantic interest for the others once they arrive in Romania!  
  
READ N REVIEW! 


	10. Ritual Of The Soul

Shadowed Friendship 2: Black Redemption  
  
By Blackheart Syaoran  
  
AUTHOR: Thanks for reviewing and sorry for the wait!  
  
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Chapter 10: Ritual Of The Soul  
  
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The elf-like creature that posed as the stewardess picked up the intercom microphone and began speaking to the plane's passengers.  
  
"Attention, everyone: We will be landing in a few moments now in lovely old Romania. The captain and crew wish you the best of times in this wonderful country, and try not to mind those bothersome humans---they don't know who or what they mess with anymore. Thank you for flying Monster Air, and please choose us again."  
  
Sitting in the aisle seat, Henry looked over at Takato, who was seated to his right, absentmindedly staring out the window.  
  
"Tell me again how it is you got this flight?" the vampire asked.  
  
The werewolf turned to his friend, his expression pleasant and unconcerned. "Well, I told Ms. Isaji that we were going to Romania to stop a vampire madman from possibly destroying the world. She just stared at me, said I was a weirdo, and then told me to sit down and get to work on the quiz."  
  
"Typical Ms. Isaji."  
  
Takato nodded. "Tell me about it."  
  
Henry frowned. "Hey, you didn't answer my question."  
  
"Oh, I guess I didn't. Anyway, the new girl Alice says she knows what I'm talking about, so she calls up her dad and he gets me the tickets once I tell him it's Myotismon we're after."  
  
Henry whistled. "Bet Jeri was ticked."  
  
"I don't know if she's found out yet, and I don't want to. Besides, I was spooked enough by Alice's dad's reaction when I said Myotismon's name."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"He called me a suicidal little squirt and told me not to rope his daughter into coming along with me or so help him God he would hunt me down and strangle me with his own two hands."  
  
Henry stared in amazement at his friend. "I guess you're lucky she didn't come."  
  
Takato shrugged. "I guess."  
  
"Mighta been better if she /had/ come," Impmon growled from the window seat. "I got enough problems without having to hear your sad stories."  
  
"You know, you seem to be just about the most unpleasant person I have ever met," Takato said.  
  
"Yeah, well, get used to it, Moony," Impmon sniffed. "Our little mission is going up against one of the most seriously evil guys to ever exist. I'm nothing compared to him."  
  
"You kind of expressed that point about Myotismon," Takato pointed out.  
  
"Uh, Takato, could you not say that name again?" Henry asked.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because now the entire jet's staring at us like we're crazies."  
  
Glancing around without making it too obvious, Takato found that just about every passenger he glimpsed was indeed staring at him, Henry, and Impmon. Each set of eyes seemed to say the same thing: "What are you, out of your mind?!"  
  
"Sorry," Takato muttered.  
  
Five minutes later, the trio exited the plane and entered the large, ancient-looking airport. With high ceilings, walls covered in countless symbols and designs, and made entirely out of stone, the facility was a sight to behold. Everyone present was most likely a monster, though it was hard to guess with some of the people---those ones appeared as human as Takato did, if not more so. Henry could see trolls, ogres, a few hags, and even a large humanoid creature that seemed to be made of clay.  
  
"How can a place like this exist?" Takato asked, fascinated.  
  
"Magic, duh," Impmon answered. "Now follow me; I know where we gotta go."  
  
"Wait!" Henry said. "Shouldn't we stock up on stuff to stop the bad guy?"  
  
"I was wondering what was missing," Takato said.  
  
"We're also missing Foxy, but you don't see me complaining," Impmon said.  
  
"That's because you hardly get along with her," Henry reminded the hobgoblin. "Besides, somebody needed to keep watch over Rika's mother and grandmother."  
  
"Whatever," Impmon muttered. "Do you guys actually want to bother stocking up, or do you want to go straight to the castle?"  
  
Henry thought for a moment before responding. "If we stock up, we could get an edge, but that would mean giving Myotismon more time to do whatever he's doing to Rika."  
  
"That's a problem, all right," Takato agreed.  
  
"Is there anything that could weaken him?" Henry asked Impmon.  
  
"Except for the sun, pretty much nothin' will stop the psycho."  
  
Henry groaned. "Just what we need: An unstoppable madman who's kidnapped my wife."  
  
"Don't forget he's probably trying to sacrifice her," Takato said.  
  
"How do you know?" Henry asked, looking at his friend quizzically.  
  
Takato blushed sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck, looking at his feet. "I picked it out of all those cheesy movies with cults in them."  
  
Henry groaned again, shaking his head. "You need to get more out of life, Takato."  
  
"I'm still waiting for a decision," Impmon growled. "It's not like /I'm/ all eager to go fight one of the biggest psychos ever."  
  
"Fine, let's go to the castle," Henry snapped.  
  
"Man, Henry, you need to take a chill pill," Takato said.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"I do hope you're enjoying yourself," Myotismon said smugly as he entered the large room.  
  
He stood in the middle of the platform, eyeing the still-struggling Rika with a calm gaze. He wondered just how long she could possibly go on struggling uselessly against her bonds, but there was really no way for him to find out: He had a ritual to complete, and the girl had to "die."  
  
"You know, it's only a matter of time before I get loose!" Rika barked. "And when I do, I'm going to hang you with your own intestines!"  
  
Myotismon cocked an eyebrow, genuinely surprised she had said something so far from the norm. Usually, people said they would rip your head off, or your heart out, or something like that.  
  
"I'm afraid you'll have to stop your struggling," he calmly informed her. "It's only going to worsen matters."  
  
"Oh, like I'm /supposed/ to make it easier for you?" Rika demanded sarcastically.  
  
"You really don't understand, do you?" the vampire overlord asked. "I'm going to perform a magic ritual and it will effectively destroy you while making me the most powerful force in the world."  
  
Rika stopped struggling. For a moment, all she could do was stare at the madman---and then burst out laughing. She was laughing so hard her lungs and stomach threatened to explode, and her face was streaked with tears. Myotismon gaped in surprise, and then became furious.  
  
"You /dare/ laugh at me?" he bellowed. "Do you have /any/ idea who I am? Can that feeble mind of yours comprehend the sheer magnitude of the situation you are currently in? You are ignorant of the facts, and you DARE to laugh at the lord and master of the entire vampire race?"  
  
His shouts were so loud they echoed off the walls for at least two full minutes. Rika actually held her tongue until silence reigned in the chamber, not taking her eyes from the sight of the King of Vampires, who was trembling with barely restrained fury. His icy eyes were now, incredibly, blazing with hatred for her.  
  
"Loser," she said contemptuously after the silence had lasted long enough.  
  
The single word hit Myotismon like a slap in the face. He actually took a step back before halting himself, his expression stunned. His was a presence that commanded respect, and here was a member of his own kind that had just called him a loser. He had bested far stronger than the girl in combat, and she had the sheer audacity to call him a loser?  
  
Slowly, the Vampire King's shock turned to rage. His eyes turned into miniature suns, powered purely by hate. He could even feel the blood inside him boil, and felt bile rise in his throat.  
  
"You insolent little worm!" he thundered. In a flash, he appeared in front of Rika and throttled her, his right hand steadily and mercilessly crushing her throat. She tried squirming, but his grip was too good. "I'll teach you how to show respect for your betters!"  
  
BOOM!  
  
Myotismon's grip was gone, and he hovered in front of Rika, staring up at the vast chamber's ceiling with wonderment on his face. The girl coughed, clearing her throat of the remnants of the madman's strength.  
  
"What the devil was that?" Myotismon muttered angrily. "Who would dare to disturb my castle?"  
  
Another boom sounded, causing Myotismon's expression to become even more volatile.  
  
"I shall be right back, little one," he sneered before vanishing.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
"If /that/ didn't get his attention, nothing will," Impmon said, looking around the room.  
  
"What a mess," Henry observed. "He's going to butcher us."  
  
After breaking into the carefully hidden castle, which was covered with vines and various other plants from years of not being cared for, the trio had set about seeking Myotismon's attention. If they did, they would easily find him, as well as stop him from personally torturing Rika. Of course, causing the destruction of the vampire's home had to be a form of suicide.  
  
"Any idea how long this could take?" Takato asked. "I'm getting tired of destroying stuff."  
  
"How very /unfortunate/ for you, then," Myotismon said as he materialized out of thin air at the room's entrance. "Breaking and entering, as well as destruction of property, are all grounds for immediate death in my kingdom."  
  
For a moment, the three didn't move. And then Impmon made another smart comment.  
  
"Hey, Sucker King, how's it hanging?" he asked almost casually, though with a snide tone.  
  
Myotismon's eyes narrowed. "Well, you three seem hardly different from your friend."  
  
"Where's Rika?" Henry demanded.  
  
"In the exact same place you'll be," Myotismon replied, "in order to die!"  
  
Whipping out an arm, the King of Vampires gave a roar of "Crimson Lightning," the energy whip lashing out and zipping around the trio. It cut easily through the floor, and the section gave way to gravity.  
  
"Oh crap!" Impmon managed to yell as he and his friends plummeted into the darkness below.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
With a thunderous boom, the floor section hit the large platform, crumbling to pieces and leaving Henry, Takato, and Impmon heavily stunned. As the dust cleared, Henry was the first to recover, glancing around in order to get his bearings. They seemed to be in a very large and rather ornate room.  
  
"Henry!" cried a familiar voice.  
  
Looking up, the vampire boy spotted the one thing that could make his heart soar at a time like this: His wife.  
  
"Rika, what are you doing up there?" he asked as he carefully stood up.  
  
"Just hanging around, nothing much," she replied with a smirk---which immediately vanished. "Look out!"  
  
Henry whirled, but was still knocked clean off his feet by Myotismon's backhand blow. The younger vampire slammed into the base of the enormous statue-like thing Rika was tied to the head of. He heard a couple of ribs break, and mentally swore to pay the "King" back with interest.  
  
"Is that all you children have?" Myotismon asked as he advanced on the downed Chinese boy. "You must be pathetic---Aaagh, get off!"  
  
Myotismon staggered forward, briefly knocked off-balance by a transformed Takato, who now equaled the vampire's height and was easily double the weight. Snarling, the werewolf raked his claws down his enemy's flank, shredding the outfit.  
  
"You ANIMAL!" Myotismon roared, reaching over his shoulder and grabbing Takato by the snout. He jerked, pulling his assailant off his back and swinging him aside. "You'll pay for that!"  
  
If the King of Vampires intended to immediately punish the werewolf, he never got the chance. Impmon used the opening, using his hobgoblin magic to create a custard pie, which he didn't hesitate to hurl at Myotismon's face.  
  
Roaring in fury, Myotismon wiped his face off and rounded on Impmon. The purple troublemaker was actually shocked stiff by the utter malevolence in the vampire's eyes.  
  
"Enough!" Myotismon roared. "There will be no more delays! It will begin without further interruptions!"  
  
"And what's that, huh?" Henry demanded.  
  
But Myotismon did not answer. Instead, he held up both arms, and a sphere of glowing red energy surrounded him, flashing brightly. Henry stared, his mind racing to come up with an explanation for what was about to happen.  
  
'Rika!' he realized. 'She has to be at the center of this whole thing!'  
  
Henry heard her screams, though she seemed to be doing everything she could to hold them in. She thrashed about violently, still restrained, as Myotismon's magic worked its wonders.  
  
"There is nothing any of you can do to stop it now!" Myotismon mocked loudly. "Once the Ritual of the Soul is complete, I will have the perfect opportunity to enact my plans!"  
  
"Ritual?" Henry said. "What ritual? What are you doing to Rika?"  
  
"It should be obvious, boy. I'm giving your cow her soul back, which will turn her back into a human and remove all her powers. She will be nothing but a pitiful mere mortal once again."  
  
"It won't work, you idiot!" Henry protested. "Rika won't have a soul!"  
  
"That's what you---What's happening?"  
  
Myotismon stared in shock as the red glow turned to a brilliant shade of green. He knew something had just gone terribly wrong, and instantly decided it would be smart to get away.  
  
But when he tried to move, he found he couldn't. His legs were like stone, and would not obey the commands from his brain. That, and he was slowly feeling much weaker than he had a moment before---  
  
'No, it can't be!' he thought, his eyes shooting to Rika. The girl seemed to be getting freer by the second! 'She's absorbing my power!'  
  
Henry watched with rapt attention as Myotismon's power was sucked out of him. The Ritual of the Soul seemed to be taking a new direction: Instead of doing what it was supposed to do to Rika, it was taking Myotismon's strength and giving it to her. It was an incredible sight to behold: Myotismon staggering forward a few steps before collapsing to his knees as Rika glowed brighter and brighter with barely contained power.  
  
"My God," Henry breathed. "How can this be happening?"  
  
The man who can sometimes be considered his father had raised a part of Henry very carefully: It was the scientist part, the part that analyzed and deduced the world around the Chinese boy.  
  
Abruptly, much sooner than anyone would have expected, the transfer of energy ceased. The glow vanished, and Myotismon crumpled to all fours, shuddering harshly. Looking up, Henry felt his eyes widen as he watched Rika snap her bonds easily and drop to the platform.  
  
Though she seemed fairly okay despite her ordeal, her entire person shook with unbridled rage. More than anything, she wanted to destroy this "King of Vampires," this abomination that had come frighteningly close to killing the person she was married to, along with nearly killing a good friend.  
  
She could feel her new powers flowing like liquid fire through her veins. The sensation was incredibly exhilarating, and it made Rika want to do something just to get back to her normal level. But while she had the boosted strength, she decided she should use it just once before it vanished.  
  
"MYOTISMON!" she roared, lunging at him.  
  
Myotismon looked up, his eyes ballooning just before Rika tackled him with wrecking-ball force. The two slid several yards across the platform before stopping. Immediately, Rika straddled the larger figure, her fists crackling with energy and backed not only by that very same energy, but also by her raging fury. Relentlessly she pummeled Myotismon, blinded by her emotions and not caring.  
  
All Rika could see was red, a solid wall of it. She knew that Henry was probably trying to calm her down, but under the current circumstances, she doubted he would be able to. The only thing that mattered right now was destroying this pathetic monster under her.  
  
But then her rage began to ebb away, draining out of her swiftly and inexorably. She could hardly raise her fists anymore, and just let her arms fall to her sides.  
  
"Get up from /that/," she challenged the unmoving body of Myotismon, which was now beginning to disintegrate and burn away to ashes.  
  
"Rika," Henry said, barely whispering. "God, how did you do that?"  
  
She shook her head. "Like Gogglehead couldn't do it."  
  
"Not all busted like I am," Takato replied weakly. "Could somebody help me?"  
  
"I'm coming," Henry said, hobbling carefully over to his friend. "Anything broken?"  
  
"I don't think so, but I could be wrong."  
  
"Let me," Rika said, reaching down and helping the werewolf stand. Takato was a little unbalanced and heavily bruised, plus rather sore, but otherwise fine. After a moment, he managed to stand on his own.  
  
"Now can we get back to Japan?" Impmon practically begged. "I have a poker game to finish."  
  
"I'm pretty sure it finished without you," Henry said.  
  
"Couldn't have," Impmon said with certainty.  
  
"Why not?" Takato asked.  
  
"Because I put a jinx on the cards I was using," the hobgoblin smirked. "Anyone who tries to read my hand ends up with a major problem."  
  
"That's gotta burn," Rika complimented. "Now where's the stairs?"  
  
Takato pointed weakly to a shady alcove. "That looks like them."  
  
Moving as fast as they could with their injuries, the gang made their way up the ancient stone steps. The entrance to the underground chamber was hidden behind a large bookcase, which slid aside and allowed the four to leave. Henry, Takato, and Impmon retraced their steps, going through a few of the rooms before reaching the massive front doors.  
  
"Finally, freedom," Rika grinned. "Can't wait to get home again."  
  
But just as the quartet reached the halfway point, the tall double doors opened, revealing a single figure standing beyond them. He wore a dark traveling cloak that seemed to match the shade of his dark hair.  
  
Rika stiffened as she recognized the man. "Oh crap. It's your father."  
  
Henry could only stare, inwardly praying things couldn't become too much worse than they already were.  
  
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AUTHOR: Hope that was some good.  
  
READ N REVIEW! 


	11. Traitor

Shadowed Friendship 2: Black Redemption 

By Blackheart Syaoran 

AUTHOR: Thanks for reviewing and sorry for the wait, but I am VERY busy! 

TO q.t: Yes, there will be a third and possibly final arc.  

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Chapter 11: Traitor 

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Janyu Wong stood in the doorway, eyeing the small group of heroes with a glint of dislike in his eyes.  He didn't make a move for them, which was just as scary as if he had whipped out a sunlight gun.  

Henry whispered into Rika's ear, "Not good.  He should still be hospitalized."  

"I don't get it myself," she whispered back.  "Didn't Myotismon clobber the old fool?" 

"My father is not an old fool," Henry hissed.  

"You're right; he's an old lunatic."  

Sighing, Henry went back to simply watching Janyu.  The former slayer still wasn't moving— 

"His eyes," Impmon said suddenly.  

"What?" Rika asked. 

"He keeps moving his eyes around the place, like he's making up a game plan," the hobgoblin explained.  

"I'm guessing that's a bad thing," Takato said.  

"No duh," Rika said.  "Henry, you go distract him while Takato and I sneak up and kill him from behind."  

Henry glared daggers at his wife.  "I'm not doing that, and you will not kill my father!" 

Rika rolled her eyes.  "Fine, fine, have it your way—or rather, the _hard_ way."  

"What's that mean?" Impmon asked.  

"It means he's going to hand us our heads," Rika said, jerking her head towards Janyu.  "That psycho used to be one of the best slayers in the world."  

Impmon gulped, and Janyu chose that moment to start talking.  

"It's good to finally catch up to you, Henry," he called.  "I was beginning to worry about you."  

Henry's eyes narrowed.  "More like you were beginning to worry that I was getting farther out of your reach, where you wouldn't be able to redeem me."  

Janyu didn't appear fazed by this.  "It's not too late to get help, Henry.  I can find a way to treat your…condition.  There's a cure out there, waiting to be found."  

"Newsflash, idiot," Rika said.  "We just put down the only cure."  

"That's right, pal," Impmon agreed.  "Myotismon's Ritual of the Soul was designed to restore the soul of any human turned into a vampire.  But, seeing as how he's both dead _and_ the only one who knows the ritual, you're screwed."  

The group expected Janyu to react with displeasure, with anger—not to smile.  

But he did just that as he responded, "It's hardly the right situation to say that in, don't you think?" 

With reflexes Henry never knew his father possessed, Janyu's hand whipped out twin pistols, aiming them at Henry and Rika.  The group hadn't even seen him reach into his cloak; Henry cursed himself for not paying attention to a dangerous enemy.  

Reacting immediately, Henry instinctively shoved Rika aside, sending her into one of the tall stone pillars that lined the hall.  The moment she was out of the way, Henry looked back to Janyu, expecting the man to aim again—but instead, the former slayer opened fire.  

Round after round bit into Henry's immortal flesh.  Dark red splotches dotted his body, the blood he had barely oozing out.  Henry shuddered with each bullet that penetrated him, his body twitching spasmodically.  

Janyu emptied the guns quickly, dropping them with a casual look and manner that actually frightened Rika.  She had been watching from where Henry had pushed her, and continued to watch as the love of her life was shot repeatedly by his own father.  

"_Henry!_" she screamed as the boy fell backwards limply.  She rushed to his side, not caring if Janyu produced more weapons and attacked her as well.  She started to feel for a pulse before she realized vampires didn't have one.  

"What did you do to him?" she demanded angrily of Janyu.  

"Shot him, obviously," Janyu said.  "I wouldn't worry about him much, though." 

"And why's that?" 

"Because lead bullets don't kill vampires.  He'll wake up, feeling like hell but alive.  You, on the other hand, are going to pay dearly for robbing my family of my son."  

"Oh yeah?" Rika growled.  She stood up, trembling with barely contained rage.  Standing right in front of her was a man who was totally dedicated to destroying not only her, but also her family's lives, and Henry's life.  Janyu Wong wanted his son back and his daughter-in-law dead, but the madman didn't even realize that such was a cycle too destructive to allow existence.  "And who's going to _make_ me pay?" 

"I am." 

There was a brief pause, and then— 

With a cry of fury, Janyu charged forward.  One arm was pulled back, ready to punch Rika's lights out.  Opposite him, the vampire girl cried out, her rage taking over.  She felt no more pain, or fear, just an all-encompassing _rage_… 

Janyu attacked first, pulling a wooden cross from his cloak.  The object was inlaid with silver, making it effective against werewolves as well as vampires.  He thrust it out at her, his upper lips curling back in angry anticipation— 

But Rika dropped down, striking Janyu in the side of the knee with her foot.  He grunted but did not cry out, the cross dropping out of his grip.  The former slayer was unworried, though, as he attacked again.  

With a flick of his wrist, Janyu produced a switchblade, brandishing it at Rika.  The vampire, sensing danger, leapt back to gain some breathing room.  

"You like it?" Janyu asked maliciously.  "Rubbed the blade down with garlic before coming here.  And I got more where that came from."  

"Yeah, I bet," Rika said.  

She frowned as Janyu reached up to his glasses, wondering what in the world he was doing.  She got her answer, however, as a jet of liquid shot out at her.  It grazed here skin, causing a burning sensation so terrible that Rika could have sworn that being set on fire was better.  

Crying out, she jerked her head to the side and pressed a sleeve of her leather jacket to her cheek, carefully wiping away the liquid.  She could easily imagine the burn wounds on her flesh, which would take a while to heal.  

"What the heck is that?" she demanded.  

"Holy water," Janyu answered.  "I told you I had some tricks up my sleeves."  

"Guess I should have paid more attention." 

Janyu tapped his shoes on the floor, and Rika was surprised when a small knife popped out of the sole like a gleaming, extended toenail.  

Rika raised an eyebrow.  "A little much, don't you think?" 

"Wait'll you see the last few toys."  

And then he attacked again.  Using amazing grace that Rika had never before suspected he had, Janyu slashed and whirled, with Rika doing everything in her power to avoid getting cut.  

Janyu spun around, a leg sweeping towards Rika.  She ducked and them immediately shot up again, intent on fighting back.  Her uppercut connected with his chin, knocking his head back and eliciting a cry of victory from her.  

But then he responded with his own punch, a right hook that sent her reeling.  As his sleeve brushed her skin, it burned, and immediately reminded her of the holy water.  Had he doused his clothes in the liquid?  

Staggering backwards, Rika grimaced as the burning sensation on her cheek died down again.  She gave Janyu a potent glare, but the man didn't seem remotely bothered.  

"What's up with your clothes?" she asked. 

"Excuse me?" 

"Your sleeve burned my skin." 

Janyu smiled.  "Oh, that.  I laced my clothes with garlic.  Like it?" 

"So _that's_ why my nostrils were burning."  

"You're getting tired," Janyu said.  "Why don't you give up and let me end the pain?" 

"I'll give up when _you_ give up." 

"Okay, I'm giving up now." 

Rika rolled her eyes.  "Idiot."  

Janyu frowned.  "Just for that, I'll make sure you die _after_ I save my son." 

Rika jabbed a finger at Janyu, her mouth open to begin launching expletives—but there was a sudden blast of yellow energy, and the next thing she knew, Janyu was gone.  Where he had been was a large wooden crate, its black letters stating, "Ship to Afghanistan." 

The vampire girl blinked and looked around, noticing that Impmon and Takato had come out of hiding.  While the werewolf still looked nervous, the hobgoblin sported a huge grin.  Rika raised an eyebrow, wondering just what Impmon's version of what happened was.  

"Like it?" Impmon asked, gesturing to the crate.  "Your slayer pal is being shipped to the Middle East first thing right now."  

Rika's jaw dropped.  "He's _in_ that thing?" 

As if on cue, something banged loudly against the interior of the crate, and Rika thought she heard someone yelling virulently in Chinese.  

"Guess he is," she said, and then glared at the others.  "Where were you?" 

"We were cowering in a corner," Takato answered.  "Impmon said he needed me to keep an eye out for anything that could affect his concentration."  

"Huh?" 

"What Furry here's trying to say," Impmon explained, "is that I needed to build up enough energy to do this little trick.  You don't see the bad man anymore, do you?" 

Rika turned around, and was surprised to see that the crate containing Janyu had mysteriously vanished, most likely to Afghanistan.  She shrugged and then started, remembering that she had momentarily forgotten about Henry.  

She rushed back to her husband's side, noticing that he was still out cold from the gunshots.  Looking to Impmon, she asked, "Is there a way to get back home fast?" 

"Just an emergency rush to the local monster hospital and then fly home," the magical creature said.  

Rika sighed.  "That'll have to do.  I'm way too tired to argue."  

"Me too," Takato agreed.  "Henry's dad is one scary guy.  I peed my pants." 

***********************************************************************

AUTHOR: Only one more chapter to go! 

NEXT: The gang tries to relax, but something terrible happens to launch Shadowed Friendship 3! 

READ N REVIEW! 


	12. Vanishing Act

Shadowed Friendship 2: Black Redemption 

By Blackheart Syaoran 

AUTHOR: Thanks for reviewing and sorry for the wait! 

TO ALL: This is going to be a short update, folks.  

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Chapter 12: Vanishing Act 

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"Ah," Takato sighed as he walked into his school's classroom.  After what had happened in Romania, gold old boring school was a welcome relief.  

"Mr. Matsuki," Ms. Isaji said as he took his seat.  "So good to have you back with us."  

"Tell me about it," he mumbled to himself.  

"Now," the teacher continued, "are you ready to give me a real answer as to what you did on your vacation to Romania?" 

Takato mentally slapped himself in the forehead.  He had completely forgotten about promising Ms. Isaji a report of what happened while he was on "vacation with his relatives" in Romania.  

_Well, it's time to face the music_, he thought.  "Uh, the truth is, Ms. Isaji, that when we arrived in Romania, we thought we were in Hell."  

The woman raised an eyebrow.  "Oh really?" she asked skeptically.  

Takato nodded.  "Yeah, there were, uh, demons and stuff!  Lots and lots of vampires too, Ms. Isaji!  They tried to bite me, but I stopped them cold!"  

_Screwy little kid_, Ms. Isaji thought.  _Does he_ really _think I believe him?_  "Takato, I hate to tell you the truth, but there are no such things as vampires."  

"But they were there, Ms. Isaji!" Takato insisted.  "They had fangs and white skin and went like this—"  Here, he pulled back the corners of his mouth with his index fingers and made an incredibly cheesy scary face, which just convinced everyone in the room that he was making everything up.  

"Takato, if you don't sit down and be quiet, I'm going to have you held back a year," Ms. Isaji warned.  

Looking rather putout, Takato did as told and Ms. Isaji got back to teaching.  

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"What took you so long?" Mrs. Matsuki asked her son when Takato came home.  "You're half an hour later than usual."  

"Ms. Isaji kept me after classes, saying that if I make up another story about monsters she'll tell the principal that I need to be put in the remedial classes."  

"She what?!" Mrs. Matsuki gasped.  "I should phone the school and have that woman removed from her teaching post!" 

"Mom, come on," Takato said.  "What should I have done?  I told her the truth before we went to save Rika, and she didn't believe me then.  I'm just glad I didn't get in any real trouble."  

"Almost getting yourselves killed is trouble enough, if you ask me."  

"It was worth it, Mom.  We had to save Rika."  

"I know, I know."  

Takato headed upstairs to his bedroom, eager to get his homework over with.  The boy had a sneaking suspicion that Ms. Isaji had assigned extra math because of his "wild" stories.  Once you accepted that she had no idea what went on in some people's lives, it was easier to deal with her.  

But once her reached his room, he got a little surprise.  

"Still sleeping with stuffed animals, Takato?" asked a deep, feminine voice from his bed.  

Starting, the werewolf boy looked to see Renamon sitting cross-legged on his bed, examining the stuffed Guilmon toy.  She actually seemed to show mild interest in the thing.  

"What are you doing here?" he asked.  "I thought you always stayed with Rika's family."  

"Rika's mother and grandmother are out on the town, trying to calm down from all the recent events.  Henry and Rika are enjoying some time alone, so I thought I'd see how you're doing."  

"I'm all right.  The biggest thing to happen in my life is my teacher not believing me when I tell her we went to Romania to stop an evil vampire."  

Renamon gave a small smile.  "Humans are like that often.  They never want to believe the truth."  

"Kind of makes you wonder just how they managed to stay around for so long," Takato said.  "I mean, with werewolves and vampires and everything else out there, humans should have been absorbed into a hybrid species or something a long time ago, right?" 

"I know what you mean.  Still, here they are, alive and kicking."  

"Speaking of kicking, what's the latest on Impmon?" Takato asked.  

"Incredibly, he's gotten himself into trouble already," the magical fox replied with a sigh.  

Takato's eyebrows went up.  "How?" 

"He thought that trying to buy his way back into the game I pulled him from would work.  The wood sprites did not take very kindly to his return."  

"What'd they do?" 

"Tried to hex him."  

"Really?"  Takato grinned at that thought.  "Did they think he was cheating them before?" 

"They did discover he was cheating them, right after I pulled him from the game.  You can't imagine how much they've been looking forward to seeing him again."  

Takato winced.  "Bet he didn't like that."  

"Not in the least," Renamon agreed.  

After a beat, Takato said, "I'm glad things are back to normal."  

"Are they?" Renamon asked.  "You can never tell the future, for it is always in motion, always ever-changing."  

Takato blinked, deeply impressed.  "Whoa, that was pretty heavy."  

"Thank you."  

"Could I ask you something?" 

"Certainly."  

Takato hesitated before speaking again.  "Do you think you could help me on my homework?"  

Renamon blinked in surprise and stared at him before laughing.  "I may be made of magic, but I doubt I could use whatever magical powers I have to help you there."  

Takato nodded, looking a little saddened.  "I guess."  

"Besides, you should ask your parents for help.  It makes them feel appreciated."  

Takato brightened up at that.  "Thanks for the advice.  I'll be sure to use it."  

"I'll see you around sometime," Renamon said, and then vanished into thin air like only she can.  

Even though she was gone, Takato said, "You too."  

************************************************************************

Later, at night, Henry Wong was about to wake up.  

It was so good to be home again, sleeping in his own bed—or rather, in his own coffin.  He was, after all, a vampire.  Then again, it _was_ just an expression.  

It was also good to be near family again.  His mother, Mayumi Wong, may not care for Rika too much, but she would never abandon her only son.  And other than her, Henry had Seiko and Rumiko, Rika's grandmother and mother respectively.  They were wonderful people.  

But best of all, he had his wife, the only person who could ever make being a bit of a rogue a good thing.  Henry had almost died, both figuratively and literally, when Myotismon had kidnapped her for his insane attempt at "destroying" her.  

But it hadn't work.  Rika and everyone else were safe and sound, living peacefully now.  They were all together, here in Tokyo, with nothing and no one to ever separate them again… 

"Rika?" Henry whispered, looking around.  

There was nothing there.  The bedroom was empty and eerie-looking in the moonlight, which was just enough that he could see by.  And what the Chinese vampire saw as he climbed weakly from his coffin was crushing.  

Nothing.  

Rika was gone.  

She had vanished.  

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AUTHOR: Hopefully that was pretty good, though very short!  

NEXT: With Rika missing, the gang must look for her despite incredible odds.  But when they do find her, will it be worth the trouble?  Both new and old allies and enemies abound as the _Shadowed Friendship_ series reaches its climax in _Shadowed Friendship 3: Brothers and Sisters_.  

READ N REVIEW! 


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